


Chaotic Neutral

by CPuff



Category: My Little Pony, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon divergence - post season 3, Celestia and Luna are as usefull as ever, Developing Friendships, Discord is kind of a manipulative ass by no more than in canon, Discord lives on Fluttershy's couch, Evil cults, Fluttershy is more her pre-season 4 self so less sarcastic than she turned later in the show, Friendship, Gen, I can't remember everything in this that might need tags so please feel free to request, I just wanted to write a fantasy quest and get Discord and the main 6 to be forced to work together, Male-Female Friendship, Minor Original Character(s), Not Canon Compliant, Road Trips, Villain Original Characters, big sappy feelings, no ships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2020-09-28 13:15:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20426588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CPuff/pseuds/CPuff
Summary: Things are hard in Ponyville for Fluttershy and Discord; mainly because of Discord. But when magic starts to go on the fritz and eventually starts failing altogether, it's up to the main six and the Draconequus to find out what's causing it and, more importantly, how to fix it.This would be a lot easier if anypony trusted the King of Chaos to begin with, but with bigger problems on the horizon, some things will have to wait to be dealt with. Like trust. Or loyalty. Or friendship.





	1. Discord

**Author's Note:**

> Fic originally written 2013 - 2014. Posting to AO3 for archiving purposes.  
Art and original Authors Notes to be added at the bottom, as well as any art made for the story by myself (if I can figure out how to do that on AO3)  
Fic to be updated once a week to prevent spamming people with 25 chapters all in one day.
> 
> Also note; The fic was written before Season 4 of the show aired, and therefore the backstory of the Elements of Harmony is completely different in this fic than the show's canon.

“Oh dear.” Fluttershy murmured to herself, lowering her shopping list to see the state of the town market in front of her.

It could've been worse. At least Discord had made inanimate objects his targets instead of any actual ponies or animals. That was a big step forward. But that didn't change the fact that the market was in a state of complete confusion.

Every stall's sign was scrawled in a completely gibberish language that Fluttershy thought she might have seen in one of Twilight's spell books. The fact that the signs themselves had been turned into cream-cheese, and were slowly melting in the mid-morning sun, didn't exactly help the legibility. The stalls themselves were thankfully sturdier, being comprised of giant seashells. It seems Discord had heard the story that you could hear the sea if you put your ear to a seashell, but apparently, had never actually done it himself, since he'd taken a more literal approach to the idea.

Fluttershy trotted hurriedly over to the carrot stall, where Carrot Top was currently yelling at the top of her lungs, over the sound of the roaring waves.

_“I said five carrots will be two bits, thank you very much!”_

_“Ok! Do you have change for two?!” _ The customer yelled back just as loudly.

_“I said that they COST two! Just gimme what you got and it'll be fine!”_

_“Oh really?! I only have two though! I can go get some change from another booth if you want!”_

_“What?!”_

_“I said I can go to another booth for change!”_

_“So you don't want the carrots then?!”_

Fluttershy waited politely by the wayside as the endless loop of a discussion continued. She looked back and forth between the two ponies, barely making out a word being said. She shifted her weight. The noise and the yelling were making her uncomfortable and she had to suppress the urge to turn and trot away from the racket. However, the longer she waited, the clearer it became that neither pony in front of her was getting any closer to getting their carrots or their money. Eventually she gave up and headed for a different stall instead.

There wasn't anypony in front of the cucumber stall, thankfully, and instead of a squall, the sound of the waves sounded more like a peaceful beach. The stall owner, a stallion with a moustache an absurd looking yellow rain jacket, stood behind his barrels looking irritable and grumbling to himself.

“Um... hello,” Fluttershy greeted him carefully. “I would like to buy some cucumbers, please.”

“Well, there they are!” he snapped angrily, as he waved a hoof at the barrels in front of him.

Fluttershy gave a grateful nod and started scooping some out from the water they were cooling in and into her saddlebag. After about three of them were tucked away, she stopped as something struck her sense of smell.

“Excuse me sir...” she said nervously as the stallion bore holes in her, “these cucumbers smell kind of.. ..funny.”

“Oh they _do_, do they?!” he spat at her.

“Yes,” she nodded, pulling one out from her bag again and sniffing it carefully, “they smell a little like... well....”

“Fish!” the Stallion threw up a hoof into the air. “Just say it! My cucumbers smell like fish! In fact, why even sugar coat it?! They smell like low tide! And do you know why?!”

Fluttershy shook her head, despite the fact that she was pretty sure she could guess.

“Because every ten minutes or so, this giant rock behind me decides to spit out at least a bathtub full of saltwater all over my stock!” He yelled, bucking the seashell's wall.

This turned out not to be too great an idea as the shell decided this was its cue and immediately sprayed a generous amount of seawater all over the stall-owner and his barrels of cucumbers. Fluttershy gave a small yelp and leapt up into the air, dodging the flood as it pooled underneath her on the cobblestones. Somewhere behind her, she could hear a couple of foals clap and cheer at what was probably the umpteenth splash that morning. The water subsided, leaving the stall owner standing with a stoic expression, his yellow raincoat sopping wet.

“Oh my. I see,” Fluttershy said, slowly setting herself on her hooves again. “Well, that certainly explains the smell.”

“What it explains to _me_ is that this whole town is going insane!” The stallion yelled, slamming his hat down to the ground before stomping on it for good measure. “If this keeps happening, then I don't care how long my wife's relatives have lived in this place, we're moving! You ponies can get your cucumbers from somepony else because I've had it!”

“Oh no, I'm sure it's not that bad,” Fluttershy tried, biting her lip as she looked over the dissipating sea-foam in the cucumber barrels. She thought for a moment, she saw a crab scurry deeper into the water.

“Young lady it _is_ that bad!” He went on, waving a hoof at her. He lowered his voice slightly although he kept his angry tone. “And don't you try and sweet-talk me! You know as well as I do that this is the work of that abomination you've got locked in your cottage!”

“Oh... well I don't... um....” Her ears flattened as she shrunk in place, desperate to try and defend herself somehow, but unable to deny the claim.

“Last week it was that plague of flying cherries throwing themselves against everypony's windows and coating the entire town in red smoosh! The week before that, we were kept up all night by our cutlery that had decided to form a barber shop quartet! A _bad_ barber shop quartet! And now this!”

“Oh, but I'm sure he didn't really mean any harm. It's not like he causes trouble _every_ day,” she tried weakly.

“I don't care if its once a _year_! You're the one keeping that, that.... Thing as a house-guest! You better find a way to keep him under control or so help me, I don't care if he turns all our mailboxes into... into... I don't know! Flying rabbits! I'm walking to Canterlot to complain to Princess Celestia myself!!”

By this time, a small crowd was starting to gather around the two ponies and cries of agreement could be heard.

“I'm sure he doesn't mean it...” Fluttershy tried her best to defend Discord, although she knew everything the stallion was accusing him of was true.

“I don't care what he means! Just get him to stay away from us townsfolk! I don't care how you do it, just do it!!”

This received much louder cries of support from the crowd.

Fluttershy tried her best to reply, but all she could manage was a small squeak in defeat.

* * *

The door to the cottage opened heavily as Fluttershy trudged inside, putting her empty saddlebags away with a deep sigh. Angel bunny, her somewhat trusty pet, immediately ran to her side, smiling wide. A small pang of guilt struck her as she petted him.

“Oh I'm sorry, Angel,” she cooed, “I'm afraid I don't have any new vegetables for you today.”

The rabbit gave a small shriek at this, pushing her aside and half burying himself into one of her bags, tossing out handfuls of coins as he went.

“I can give you some of the leftovers from yesterday,” She smiled gently at him, lying her head down to be at his level.

The rabbit made a strangled noise at this, dramatically grabbing at his throat and stumbling around.

“I know it's not going to be as nice as fresh veggies, but I'll take some extra time to make you the best salad you could want. How does that sound?”

The bunny crossed his arms, glowering to himself as he thumped one of his feet angrily.

“I'll even add some of the bean sprouts I was saving to plant,” She smiled sweetly.

Angel thought this over for a moment before hopping to turn around and nod at her with a satisfied smile.

“There. See, it's not so bad is it?” She giggled as he hugged her face before turning and skittering off in the direction of the kitchen.

“Bean sprouts for supper? I should say that's more like a catastrophe than just 'bad'!” a voice came from behind her.

Fluttershy, standing upright again, took a deep breath before turning to face her semi-permanent house guest.

Discord had decided to pop into existence a few inches above the couch which he then flopped down on. It promptly popped from green to plaid. He grinned at her as he stretched out.

“Discord, where have you been?” She scolded lightly as she closed the green drawer where she kept her bags.

“Oh you know me, Fluttershy. A little here, a little there,” little X's appeared on the floor of the cottage as he spoke, “I'm still trying to get use to this whole 'go wherever I want' thing you know. I don't plan on wasting my days staying indoors.”

“Well yes,” she nodded, side-stepping the new floor decorations as she trotted over, “but I heard you went into town this morning.”

“Ah yes,” he sighed wistfully, resting his chin on his forepaw and claw, “the rustic scenes of this little settlement really does you wonders. So quaint and picturesque you could just puke.”

Fluttershy frowned softly. “I went to go and buy veggies for my animal friends, but when I got there it looked like you'd been causing mischief again.”

“Oh, come come now, my dear,” he said, popping into place beside her and placing an arm around her shoulders, “it's not as if I caused any damage or anything. Just a little harmless decorating here and there. The market's so dull it could use a little redesign.”

“Well the town ponies didn't seem to think so,” she said, wriggling free of his grip, determined not to let him off the hook, “they were very mad. Some even said they would complain to Celestia if you don't stop causing trouble.”

Discord scoffed, rolling his eyes at the threat as he dropped himself down on the couch again. “You ponies are always so melodramatic over every time little change. I don't think it's very healthy.”

“I really think they were serious this time Discord,” she replied, hovering over to sit on the small open space next to him. “They were um... quite loud.”

He raised an eyebrow at her thoughtfully. “Oh, they were?”

“Oh yes,” she nodded, reliving the moment. “It was horrible! They were all yelling and pointing at me and saying really mean things about you!”

“Oh they _were_, were they?” His eyes narrowed slightly. “Well that's not very friendly.”

“They were just angry.” Fluttershy quickly back-peddled, sensing the change in mood. “If you behave yourself a little better, I'm sure they won't have anything bad to say about you anymore.”

His expression changed on a dime and he laughed, clearly entertained as he twisted his tail around her middle and held her dangling above him as he crossed his arms behind his head. “My dear Fluttershy, as usual you're so charmingly naïve.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but stopped herself, deciding that as long as Discord wasn't in a bad mood, she could let the subject drop.

A bowl came flying across the room and promptly smacked him against the side of the head. Both Fluttershy and her guest turned to Angel, who was standing in the kitchen doorway, stomping his foot furiously as he glared at them.

“Oh my!” Fluttershy gasped, flapping free of Discord's tail and over to her pet. “I completely forgot about your supper! I'm so sorry Angel!”

“Yeeees. Heavens forbid the thing should starve to death.” Discord rolled his eyes, snapping his fingers to cause a gramophone to materialise in the air above him and start churning out an ancient piano.

“But... Discord?” Fluttershy's head popped back into the living room from the doorway. “You will try and behave a little better from now on, right? Pretty please.”

“Yes, yes.” He waved a paw at her dismissively. “I'll be as good as gold from now on, you have my word.”

“Well, alright then,” she smiled as she ducked out of sight again.

Discord puffed at a speck of dust irritably before snapping his fingers, changing the couch from plaid to bright pink leopard-print.

* * *

The week went on without any incident. The ponies of Ponyville carried on their usual lives without another peep from the draconequus. The cucumber seller never followed through with his threat about sending word to Celestia and things returned to utter normality.

Fluttershy, after finally restocking on her food supplies, spent most of her time outdoors. When she wasn't tending to her vast array of animals, she was spending time with the other five ponies in her group of friends or helping whoever in town had some or other animal related problem. Life as normal.

It was driving Discord nuts.

He was sitting upside down on the living-room armchair, snapping his fingers every few minutes to swap the entire room's colour palette to a new fashion nightmare. Part of him wished Rarity would come over to visit, just so that he could see her throw one of her famous drama queen fits. But even picturing the diva's reaction to his current mash-up of chartreuse parrot wallpaper and day-glow purple shag carpet wasn't keeping him that entertained.

He sighed much longer than what could really been considered physically possible as he snapped his fingers yet again to change the décor. He waited a moment before he frowned lightly, pushing himself the right way up as he snapped his fingers again.

His frown deepened.

* * *

“Oh he's much better,” Fluttershy insisted with a bright smile. “You'll notice, he's not changing living things any more, only objects.”

“Yeah, but he's still making a mess of the town!” Rainbow Dash snapped as she hovered above the conversation.

“Not the _whole_ town,” Fluttershy argued.

“Well, that may be true, but he's still being rather difficult.” Rarity added with a nod as she sipped her tea.

“Not to mention he's ruined a good few folk's harvest!” Applejack said with more conviction than her two friends. “You're lucky it's been a fine summer, Sugarcube or you'd have a riot on your hooves!”

Fluttershy sunk her seat, taking an embarrassed sip from her own cup.

“We're not saying it's your fault, Fluttershy.” Twilight Sparkle smiled at her. “We're just saying maybe you should try and talk to him or something?”

“Oh I have.” She nodded, sitting up again. “I told him he needs to be better behaved and he promised he'd really, really try!”

“Yeah but... it's getting to a point where trying isn't really enough.” Twilight added, biting her lip.

“You should tell that old Discord to stop being an old meanie-face or he's really gonna get it!” Pinkie said enthusiastically, stomping a hoof down on her teaspoon, causing a large helping of whipped cream to fly across the table and promptly smack Applejack in the face. “Oopsie!” She snorted, leaning over to offer her a napkin.

“He's really not trying to be mean.” Fluttershy rubbed one of her forelegs sheepishly. “I know he's difficult, but he doesn't do any of these things to be mean.”

“Well, whatever he's tryin'a be, ya'll better rein him in before the whole place goes bananas!” Applejack said as she wiped her face.

Fluttershy nodded miserably.

“Oh, don't look as if we're reprimanding you dear.” Rarity said a little gentler. “We really are saying these things to try and help. We don't want you to get into any trouble, that's all.”

“Yes, I know.” She nodded again. “But this is my responsibility. I promised Princess Celestia that I would help Discord reform and that's what I'm going to keep doing. If he's causing trouble, then it's up to me to help clean it up.”

“Well... that's very noble of you Fluttershy, but you have got to be realistic about it too.” Twilight said. “I mean, I know he thinks you're his friend, but if he's just going to keep being bad and leaving you to take care of it for him afterwards... then maybe... well.... maybe this is one friendship that you should really reconsider?”

Fluttershy's gasp was one of the more dramatic ones to come from her. “How can you say that Twilight?!”

“Now, I know!” Twilight held up her hooves defensively. “I know ok? It sounds horrible. But sometimes... Sometimes there are ponies, or whatever Discord is, who just aren't worth your friendship. All they do is take advantage of you so they can get something from you. In Discord's case, you're the one who always has to try and keep the peace every time he decides to go on a small rampage. That's not how friends are supposed to act.”

“Well maybe that's how you see it, but that's not how he is!” Fluttershy snapped back in a rare display of anger. “You don't spend as much time with him as I do! He's not like that! And I really don't like listening to my best friends talk badly about him!”

“Hey, easy Fluttershy.” Rainbow flew over to stand next to her. “We're not saying to kick the guy out of your house or anything, we're just worried about you.”

The other four nodded earnestly.

“I would be absolutely horrified to think that that... ruffian is taking advantage of your kindness!” Rarity said, waving her cup around subconsciously.

“You're a nice girl, Fluttershy.” Applejack added. “Sometimes ponies don't appreciate folks that is kind to them.”

“Well, Discord isn't like that.” Fluttershy said firmly, sitting down again with a huff.

“Alright. Just... keep it in mind, ok?” Twilight said.

Fluttershy sighed, but nodded. “I will, but I really think you're wrong about him. You just haven't spent enough time with him.”

“Well... yeah, ok. I guess that's true too.” Twilight chuckled.

“Ooh! Ooh! We should throw a “getting-to-know-Discord-better” party!” Pinkie volunteered enthusiastically, hopping in her chair.

“Oh yeah. That would go well.” Applejack snickered.

“Oh!” Rarity gave what could only be described as a dainty yelp as the teacup tumbled onto the table, spilling the last few drops. “I am sorry! My magic must have slipped.” She smiled, clearly embarrassed. “I just had my horn done you know.”

“Oh yeah! I was wondering why you were shinier than usual!” Pinkie grinned at her. Applejack rolled her eyes, but Rarity ignored her.

“You should try and make time to visit the spa with me more often Pinkie.” Rairty said, her chest puffing slightly as she dabbed at the spilt tea. “Of course they can't exactly polish your horn, but they could try and give you an update on your _cheveux_.”

“You can try all you want, you are never gonna tame those curls.” Dash took to the air again to flap to the other side of the table.

“It doesn't mean I can't at least try!” She replied with a huff.

“Do they have any pamphlets or instruction books on wing-care?” Twilight added. “I'm still not really sure how to keep these things looking their best.”

“Aw, you should ask me!” Dash said proudly. “No-pony's got better cared for wings than Ponyville's number one flyer!”

“The day I let you give Twilight grooming advice is the day Opal starts giving me sewing tips!” Rarity interrupted, quite seriously.

Fluttershy sat quietly, drinking her tea.

* * *

It was early evening when Fluttershy finally returned home to the usual nightly welcome committee of animals. She made her way to her kitchen, not even bothering to notice the purple and green décor of her home. She'd gotten too use to her cottage changing colours all the time. After making sure everypony was well fed she started making her rounds, locking paddocks, making sure all the ducklings were in the pond, and checking to make sure her Blue Jays had enough fluff for their nests. Last was locking up the hen-house for the night. She was about to close its main door when she noticed the weather-vane on its roof. That is to say, she noticed that the hen-house had a weather-vane on its roof.

“What are you doing?” She blinked, taking flight.

“Well, obviously I'm checking which way the wind is blowing!” The little brass Discord answered, hands on hips.

“Oh, um... ok..” She gave a confused smile, not sure it was worth it to ask why.

The weather-vane poofed in a shower of confetti back into Discord's proper form. He yawned and stretched himself out. “I'd say it's about time we hit the old mattress, wouldn't you?”

“Yes.” She nodded as she drifted to the ground again. “I'm exhausted.”

“Oh? Hard day of animal caring, my dear?” He said as he flapped his way down to follow her, his voice laced with fake formality.

“Not exactly.” She said as they walked back to her cottage. “I was with my friends.”

“Ah. Say no more.” He gave a knowing nod. “a full day of chattering girls would drain anypony!”

She felt she should've scolded the remark, but she couldn't help but giggle. “It wasn't like that.”

“Fine, fine. I'm sure it was a long day of deep discussion on the nature of beauty products and hair brushing, as girls do.”

Fluttershy felt herself blush brightly in embarrassment. “That wasn't the only thing we talked about.”

“Well spare me the details if you please.” He floated past her to what seemed to have become 'his' couch in the past months, promptly flicking Angel off it with forefinger and thumb. “I'm sure I'm able to get some sleep without needing the help.”

“Oh yes. Monitoring the wind must have taken it out of you.” She replied with a smile, picking up her sulking rabbit and carrying him over to his basket.

“Doth my ears deceive me?” Discord said, plucking one off his head and polishing it with an arm before putting it back. “Did our bashful host just use sarcasm?!”

Fluttershy said nothing but smiled to herself as she tucked Angel in, pecking him on the forehead as he reluctantly settled down for the night before she turned to climb the stairs.

“I'm rubbing off on you, my dear.” Discord sang threateningly as she went. “You'd better watch out before the rest of the town bring out the torches and pitchforks.”

“Goodnight, Discord.” She replied as she turned out the light.

* * *

It was barely daybreak when something thundered on the cottage door. Discord grumbled, popping a pillow out of thin air to cover his head as he curled himself up. Fluttershy, already awake and busy preparing the vast buffet of breakfast for everypony, peered into the living-room with surprise.

Whoever was at the door banged on it again, louder this time if that was even possible. An eagle claw uncurled itself out from under the pillow and snapped its fingers although it was unclear what this did.

“Now, now,” Fluttershy shushed as she made her way to the door, “whoever it is obviously has something important to tell us.”

Discord said nothing, although a red eye peered at the front door with a deep frown. Fluttershy, ignoring her permanent house guest, unlocked and opened the door. She blinked several times.

“Good morning, Twilight.” She said with clear surprise. “What brings you here so early?”

“I'll tell you as soon as you take me to that goat-faced menace!” Twilight Sparkle snapped angrily, peering past her at the couch. _“You!”_

“_Moi?”_ He sat up, giving a yawn.

His casual behaviour seemed only to enrage her further as she pushed passed Fluttershy and stomped over to him, pointing a hoof accusingly. _“What did you do?!”_

“I'm not sure.” He said, completely unmoved by her outburst. “I do so many things, it's hard to keep up.”

“Um... Twilight?” Fluttershy closed the door nervously.

“Don't play innocent with me, pal! You know exactly what I'm talking about!! Now you better turn around and _fix it! _Fast! Or so help me, I'm not even gonna wait to hear from the Princess before I turn you into an oversized garden gnome again!!”

Discord's gaze cooled as he stared at her, not a flicker of worry on his face.

Fluttershy looked back and forth between them, her heart sinking like a chunk of lead. Her ears flattened as she turned to stare at her friend in dismay.

“....Discord?”


	2. Magic

Tension hung in the air as Twilight Sparkle continued to glare at Discord. He merely stared back with as much boredom as he could muster, only breaking his gaze when Fluttershy squeaked his name. He uncoiled himself from the couch and stood up, cracking his back with his hands.

“If you're really going to turn me back into stone, you should probably tell me why first.” He stretched his arms out over his head. “As hard as I've tried, I'm afraid I'm not a mind-reader just yet.”

“You just...! You...! You did _this_!” Twilight yelled, pointing her horn in a target free direction. After a second or so, her horn sparked and sent off a few harmless purple flashes into the air.

There was a drawn out pause, the only sound coming from Fluttershy's hooves as she came to stand next to Discord. They waited as Twilight blinked at the fading lights with apparent surprise.

“That's very good Twilight.” Discord praised her condescendingly before he leaned down to whisper to Fluttershy. “I think our resident princess has lost her mind.” He seemed to think this over for a moment before straightening and adding to the room at large. “Actually... I think that'd be a dramatic improvement. Please, do go on.” He grinned eagerly as he watched her.

“No! No you don't understand!” Twilight said frantically as she began to pace back and forth in front of them, picking up various things in the room with her magic before putting them back down. “It didn't do that earlier! I couldn't do _anything_ earlier! It was like somepony had stolen my magic!”

“Oh my. That sounds serious.” Fluttershy said with honest concern as she walked closer to try and calm her friend. “Are you sure that's what it was? Maybe you were too tired or needed a few more minutes to wake up.”

Twilight shook her head wildly. “No it wasn't like that at all! It was the weirdest thing I'd ever felt in my life! I came downstairs and tried to make myself some breakfast but I couldn't pick anything up! Not the bread, not the knife, nothing! It was like I didn't even have a horn!”

“At least it's come back though, right?” Fluttershy gave a gentle smile. “So luckily it wasn't permanent.”

“Oh I'm sure it was never meant to be permanent!'” Twilight snapped as she spun to face Discord again. “I still wanna hear what you were thinking pulling a stunt like that?! Do you want me to tell Princess Celestia you should be imprisoned again?!”

Discord however didn't answer. He was toying with his beard as he pouted thoughtfully.

“Hello?!” She yelled, starting to get furious. “Are you even listening to me?!”

He seemed to snap back to the present as he turned to Fluttershy, ignoring Twilight completely. “Pardon me Fluttershy, I'd like to test something for a moment.”

“Oh?” She blinked at him as he snapped his fingers. “Oh!”

The living-room completely transformed itself from the small cottage interior to something a tourist might think a tropical island looked like, complete with burning tiki torches, palm trees and the three of them appropriately dressed with a grass skirt, a Haywaiian print shirt and a rather terrifying tribal mask on Twilight. Immediately, he snapped his other claw and the scene changed again, this time to an upscale coffee shop. Again. This time a sauna, then a throne room, a restaurant, a mountain peak, a wrestling ring, at the bottom of the ocean and finally back to Fluttershy's normal living-room.

Discord snapped his fingers one last time, causing the front door to disappeared from the wall. He gave something like a nod, looking satisfied before it popped back into place. He turned back to the two ponies who were trying to control their stomachs.

“Well, it seems to be working fine now.” He grinned, a sizeable mug of something steaming materialised in his hand as he sat down again.

Twilight recovered quicker than Fluttershy as she spun to glare at him again, pointing a hoof furiously. _“Well of course it works for you if you're behind it!!”_

“Oh, you have such low opinion of me, Twilight Sparkle.” He tossed the entire mug into his mouth, eating it. “I'm quite hurt.” He spat out a frilly handkerchief which he then proceeded to wipe at invisible tears.

“All I know is the last time my magic got taken away it was because _somepony_ took my horn!” Her eyes narrowed at him.

“True, true.” He nodded. “But you also remember I had a goal in mind at the time. What could I possibly be trying to achieve by this? Especially since, as you say, I might end up on the receiving end of your little petrifying spell.”

“So you're saying it wasn't you?” She snorted in disbelief.

A halo pinged above his head as he gave her what was probably his best 'innocent' face.

“Twilight,” Fluttershy finally spoke up, still wobbling slightly. “Do you have any proof that it was Discord who did this?”

“Yes Twilight.” He grinned at her cheekily behind Fluttershy's back. “Do you have any _proof_?”

She shot him a venomous look but reluctantly replied, “No.”

“Ok. So maybe there's a small, tiny chance you could be wrong about this?” Fluttershy smiled hopefully.

Twilight grumbled, ruffling her wings irritably. “I guess so. But I don't really have any _better_ theories!” She turned to give Discord another dirty look. “Maybe I'll let you off the hook this time. But you better watch it! I'm keeping my eye on you! One more slip-up and then I'm gonna have to do something about this.”

“Oh you don't mean that.” Fluttershy said gently.

“Yes. Yes I do.” Twilight took a deep breath before letting it out slowly, regaining her composure. “Fluttershy, I understand how you feel but if he doesn't stop this, then I really can't ignore it any longer. I'll _have_ to tell Princess Celestia. I promised her we'd keep an eye on him.”

Fluttershy said nothing. She just lowered her head miserably, kicking softly at the ground and staring at her hooves.

“I'm going back to the library to look for another reason why this could've happened.” Twilight said, much calmer. “You guys... think about what I’ve said. Ok?”

She turned to let herself out, giving Fluttershy a worried look over her shoulder before closing the door behind her.

“Oh dear.” Fluttershy slumped to a sit. “That really didn't go well at all.”

“Somepony obviously hadn't had their morning coffee.” Discord scoffed, getting up and walking in the direction of the kitchen. “Speaking of which.”

“Did you really have to do something that silly to her?” Fluttershy said sadly, peering at him through her hair.

He seemed to flinch as he froze in place. He spun, placing his paws against his chest melodramatically. “Don't tell me you're taking _her_ word over mine!” He pressed a paw to his forehead. “Oh cruel fortune! Betrayed by the only one I trust! My illusion of a safe haven shattered!”

“You know she was serious about what she said.” Fluttershy ignored the dramatics as she fidgeted with something on the floor. “If you do anything else to upset her then... She's Celestia pupil. She'll have to tell her.”

“Cheer up my dear.” He said as he twisted around her with a grin. “We'll just have to behave like butter wouldn't melt in our mouths for a while and she'll forget about it.”

Fluttershy mumbled something to herself that he couldn't make out and didn't look that much happier..

“Besides, I would think her magic disappearing is more worthy our attention right now.” He added as he stood himself in front of her. A small table appeared between the two of them, fully set with cups and a steaming teapot.

“So... you really were honest about it not being you?” Fluttershy finally raised her eyes to him as she took her cup from the table.

“Do you really think I'd lie to you?” He said, grinning to show off a rather impressive set of teeth.

“Mmmm.” Fluttershy replied into her teacup, avoiding his eye. He didn't seem too interested in her answer anyway.

“Now personally I would stand by my first assumption that Miss Sparkle has completely lost her mind. However I think she may have been right about her little breakfast disaster.” He said business-like, picking up his own cup and making a show of drinking from it politely. “and I don't mean that as a remark about her cooking skills. I'm sure she can make a sandwich without burning it. If not then Celestia is the one who's gone mad, making _her_ the trusty Princess-in-Training that she is.”

“So you believe her that her magic wasn't working?” Fluttershy asked, trying to keep the subject on track.

“Normally I wouldn't really care. However, as it happens I was having a few erm...” For a second, he looked honestly embarrassed. “...hiccups yesterday. As it were.”

She blinked wide-eyed at him, setting down her cup again. “What do you mean, Discord?”

“Let's just say that most of yesterday was spent giving myself carpal tunnel syndrome trying to get this thing working again.” He said with a grumble, glaring at his own eagle-claw. “Not to mention Twilight's racket on the door would've been cut short much sooner if the thing had decided to do what I told it to!”

Fluttershy said nothing for a moment, staring at him quietly as he gulped down his cup of tea, followed by the cup itself. He gave a content sigh as he sat back. Finally noticing her stare, he returned her expression.

“What?”

“Discord.” She started carefully. “Are you having problems with your magic too?”

“Well, I'm not sure I'd call them 'problems' exactly.” He waved a paw at her.

“But you do admit it's been acting funny?” She insisted.

He fluttered his eyes at her for a few moments, pretending not to understand. But when it became clear she wasn't going to break eye contact he slumped down on the table with a sulk, scratching at the wood with a claw. “Well I may have had a few issues getting it to work. I suppose you could say.”

“Oh my.” Fluttershy said with seriousness, putting a hoof to her chin. “So it's not just Twilight.”

She stood up from her seat, trotting out of sight into the kitchen for a moment before reappearing with several bowls of food balanced on her back and nose.

“We'd better go tell her. Wait here while I finish feeding everypony and we'll go straight to the library. This could be serious! Maybe there's a magical flu going around or something!”

“More like your friend Miss Twilight's been experimenting with unstable spells again.” He said, pulling a newly formed bath-plug from the floor, causing the table and tea-set to literally drain away.

“No, I don't think so.” Fluttershy said as she went. “Twilight wouldn't put any of us in danger like that.”

Discord pulled a face at her back.

* * *

After making doubly sure everypony had been fed, Fluttershy and Discord took the walk over to the Ponyville Library. Discord had been living in the small town at least a short couple of months by now, but it hadn't really changed its opinion of him much. Mostly because he spent most of his time out of sight, doing what exactly nopony was sure, and when he did show his face it was usually to start mischief and annoy everypony. Granted annoyance was better than utter chaos but it didn't really help his popularity. The townsponies hadn't so much accept his presence, as they tolerated his existence. And even then only because of their loyalty to the royal princesses.

Needless to say, the walk through town wasn't all that fun for Fluttershy. She tried her best to avoid eye-contact, staring at the road right in front of her and moving at a brisk trot towards Twilight's home. However she could still feel the glaring eyes on her and her friend as she went. She could also feel the burn on her cheeks which made her even more self-conscious. Discord on the other hoof didn't even seem to notice as he flapped his wings lazily to keep up with her.

“It's a real shame I'm on low profile right now.” He sighed to himself as he looked over the small houses and stores they passed. “I have this great idea for a new look to this place. The entertainment level alone would make it worth it.”

“Please don't cause any trouble.” Fluttershy asked politely, turning to look at him instead. Trying not to focus on the stares they were getting.

“Now now, I said I'd behave.” He rolled his eyes, a dog collar popping around his neck, an end of a leash attached to Fluttershy's foreleg. “I know where Celestia wants me. I was just thinking out loud.”

“You shouldn't think about it so much.” Fluttershy said as she tried to undo the leash from her leg and walk at the same time.

Discord laughed, rolling over to fly on his back next to her. “You do realise chaos is _all_ I ever think about, don't you? It kind of comes with the territory you know.”

“Maybe if you found something else to keep you busy it'd be easier for um... all of us.” She gave him a nervous smile. “Perhaps you could find a hobby. You should think of what kind of things you like doing.”

“Hmmm.” He tapped his chin in thought before throwing his arms out triumphantly as an idea struck him. “I enjoy causing trouble!”

Fluttershy's smile changed into a slight grimace. “Um... Yes I know...”

“I also like causing confusion,” He started counting off on his eagle claw. “Nonsense, Twisting reality around, a little bit of mayhem, stirring up turmoil, playing games-”

“Oh! Games!” Fluttershy grabbed the opportunity. “That's a good start. Why don't you think from there? What kind of games do you enjoy the most?”

“Usually the kind that involves any of the aforementioned things.” He grinned proudly, a scroll appearing in his paws with a list with every synonym for 'chaos' in the thesaurus.

“Hmm... Maybe you should try some games you haven't played before and see if you like them. Ones that don't involve making anypony mad.”

“Awnh but that sounds so boring!” He whined as the scroll disappeared in a puff of smoke. “Really, what's the fun of playing a game if you can't get some kind of reaction from your opponent? What's the point?”

“Games should be fun for everypony playing them.” Fluttershy smiled sweetly at him. “And if everypony enjoys them, then they'd be happy to try and play agai-!”

Her sentence was cut short as she smacked right into another pony who wasn't paying attention to where she was going. The leash, still tied to one of Fluttershy's legs, not only tripped and caused her to fall on top of the other pony but also succeeding in entangling itself around both their legs. They fell with a crash to the ground, flailing and crying out in surprise.

“Oh I'm sorry!” Fluttershy yelped as she tried to leap off the assaulted pony as fast as she could, only for the leash to snap her back and tightening around the two of them. “Oh no I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!”

“Stop squirming! You're making it worse!” The other mare yelled as she tried to kick herself free pathetically. “Somepony help! Get some scissors or something! Quick!”

“I'm sure we can get free if we just..” Fluttershy tried in vain to loosen a leg. The only thing she achieved was losing her balance and having to adjust her stance which caused a stray hoof to plant itself firmly on the other mare's saddlebag. Something inside made a very satisfying crunch.

“Oh no!! Look what you've done!” The mare wailed. “I just bought those eggs! And you've ruined my favourite saddlebag!”

“I'm sorry! I'm sorry!” Fluttershy squeaked helplessly. “Discord! Please you have to help!” She turned to him desperately. Discord on the other hand was in a fit of hysterics, gripping his chest as he rocked back and forth in mid-air.

“Discord!!” Fluttershy said, this time with some meaning in her voice.

He managed to get some control over himself as he landed on his feet, still giggling like a lunatic as he wiped at his eyes. “Alright alright just hold on a second.” He cleared his throat as he got himself to stop laughing before clapping his paws together.

The leash instantly disappeared and the two ponies collapsed. The mare shoved Fluttershy off her as she threw open her saddlebag and gave a cry in dismay. “My eggs! My bag!”

“I'm so so sorry!” Fluttershy repeated, quickly getting to her feet and backing away from her, ears flattened. “I can pay you back for the eggs if it helps.”

“And are you going to pay for my bag as well?!” She snapped. “This was handmade by an old blind mare in the Obsidian mountains! My husband brought it back from a business trip! I can't just get another one!”

“Oh...” Fluttershy shrunk, backing away a little further.

“Ugh, enough already. I think we get the picture.” Discord stuck out his tongue in exaggerated disgust. “If I fix your precious bag will you stop your squawking?”

“Oh no!” She snapped, swinging her bag away and focusing him with a hard glare. “I don't want you _monster_ touching my things! You just stay away from me!”

Discord gave a shrug. Fluttershy however took a step forward. “He was only trying to help. There's no need to call him names..”

“I don't want to hear it!” She spat at Fluttershy instead. “He's a menace and a ticking time-bomb! And _you_ are either an idiot for standing up for him or a traitor! Either way the whole town would agree we would be much happier if you two just-...” She stopped in the middle of her tirade and blinked several times in what appeared to be shock.

She took a tiny step backwards as an unsettled smile sprung on her face. “Then... then again I... I suppose it's a free world... aha ha ha.. ..ha....” She turned and trotted away so fast she almost broke into a gallop.

Fluttershy blinked at the retreating figure before turning behind her to her companion. “What was that all about?”

Discord's eyes were focused on the other mare as well but she missed his expression as he blinked and gave another shrug with an innocent smile. “Perhaps she decided she didn't like the look of us.” He coiled downwards, grabbing her under the forelegs and mimed her giving small flailing punches. “She probably realised after getting a second look at you she was outmatched.”

“Oh dear.” Fluttershy blinked wide-eyed at this before smiling widely to herself with a small, proud giggle. “I didn't realise I was being so assertive.”

He let her go before resuming his place next to her. “Perhaps we should give the lowly ground-dwellers some space before you scare off anypony else.”

“You're teasing me.” She said although she took to the air beside him. “You did a good job trying to help her though.” She praised him brightly. “It's a shame she was in such a bad mood.”

* * *

When somepony knocked on the Library door it didn't take much guessing for Twilight to figure out who it was. The knock was so soft and somehow managed to even sound shy that she didn't even bother asking who was there. She opened the door with a smile.

“Hey Fluttershy.” Her eyes travelled upwards very slightly. “Oh. Hello Discord.”

“Pardon the intrusion my dear Princess.” Discord said as he pushed past the two ponies and immediately circled the library once or twice. “Ahhh. Everything perfectly shelved according to genre, sub-genre and then alphabetically arranged according to the author's last name. Such an orderly and controlled establishment you have here.”

“You so much as breathe on the wrong thing and I'll... I'll...!” Spike immediately noticed the danger and jogged across the length of the room, waving the broom he'd been using.

“_'The Complete Guide to Harvesting Frostbite Spider Venom.'_” Discord read the cover of a randomly selected book, licking a thumb and opening it with the opposite hand. Something black, hairy and with a lot of legs climbed out of the book's pages. “Oops! Guess I shouldn't have skipped ahead to the advance section.” He grinned as he dropped it. The enormous spider plopping on the floor before getting up and scurrying under a bookshelf and out of sight.

“Discord. Stop it. Fluttershy. Why are you two here?” Twilight asked flatly. She softened a little bit. “Not that I don't like seeing you.”

“Well,” Fluttershy started as she trotted inside. “We were talking about what you said happened to you this morning and we thought we should come over and tell you what we found out.”

“Oh yeah?” Twilight threw Discord and distrusting look. He was trying to surreptitiously rearrange the books while Spike was half buried under the bookcase, trying to jab at the now missing spider with his broom-handle.

“Yes.” Fluttershy nodded. “We were saying how strange it was for your magic to suddenly stop working. Discord said it was probably something we should pay attention to.”

“Really?” Twilight cocked an eyebrow in slight disbelief but trotted to sit on one of her seat-cushions, Fluttershy following.

“Oh yes.” She nodded. “In fact, he said he's been having problems with his magic too.”

“Only a little tiny bit.” Discord interrupted, exploding into existence right beside Twilight, nearly giving her a heart attack.

“Don't get the wrong idea; I'm still quite capable of keeping myself entertained. But when you're use to a more liberal use of your powers,” He snapped his fingers, the large bust on the table transforming itself into a rutabaga. “you tend to notice little changes and dips in potency.”

“Uh huh.” Twilight said, sounding unimpressed. “But you _have_ been having problems too?”

Discord hummed to himself tunelessly for a second. “Maybe a little bit.”

“He's not very happy about it.” Fluttershy whispered across the table.

“But that's really bad news.” Twilight said as she stood up again, trotting over to her shelves and pulling out random books, looking over their covers. “If it was just me then I could try and figure out what I've been doing differently lately. Or I could try and find out if it's a side-effect of the alicorn spell. But if it's affecting others, then that means there's something bigger going on.”

“Do you think anypony else is having problems with their magic?” Fluttershy asked.

“I don't know. I didn't think to ask anypony.” She trotted back, a small handful of books following her as she sat down and started flicking through them. “It only happened once to me this morning, so I didn't really think it was that big a deal.” She looked up at Discord for the first time with sincerity. “How many times did you have these erm... dips in potency?”

“I don't really keep track of things that rigidly.” He shrugged. “But it was once this morning and a few times yesterday.

“Yesterday?” Twilight's eyes widened as she turned back to her book, flipping through it faster. “Why didn't you say anything to anypony?”

“Well frankly, it's none of their business.” He said, inspecting a claw with a bored expression.

“We should ask around if anypony else had any problems.” She said, pushing the book aside. “We should ask the others to help us too. We can cover more ground with six of us. Ask any of the Unicorns in town if anything weird has happened to them yesterday or today and if they can think of anything they've done differently in the last two or three days. Spike,” He jumped slightly, squirming out backwards from the bookcase, the spider clinging tightly to his broom. “You stay here and watch the library. If anypony comes looking for a book, help them and sign it out like I showed you.

He snapped to attention, throwing her a salute. “Yessir! I mean Twilight!”

“I'll go get Pinkie Pie and Rarity. You guys go find Rainbow Dash and Applejack.” She said as she lead them to the door before following them out. “Hopefully it's just a coincidence we both had problems at the same time. We'll meet back here later.”

“Ok Twilight.” Fluttershy nodded as she took wing, physically nudging Discord into the air with her. “We'll see you later.”

“If we can tear ourselves away from all the fun this is going to be.” Discord said sarcastically, pulling a face.

“And no messing with the town!” Twilight yelled at them as they flew away. “I mean it, Discord!”

She hoped he'd heard her and was just ignoring her. She didn't need him adding more problems to the situation. She turned and trotted in the direction of Sugarcube Corner, hoping it really was just a fluke that both of them lost their powers around the same time. Experience was starting to teach her that coincidences didn't really happen that often though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original A/N (28 September 2013)  
More was going to happen in this chapter, but I realised it was starting to run long and if I kept going it would end up almost double in size. As a result maybe not enough happens in this chapter, but luckily the story is still moving forward.


	3. Tension

On the way to Sugarcube Corner, Twilight stopped by the Carousel Boutique. It was Sweetie Belle who opened the door when she knocked.

“Oh, hey there Twilight!” She smiled, letting her in.

“Hey Sweetie Belle. Is Rarity around?”

“Yeeeeeaaah.” Sweetie Belle pulled a face. “She is, but... she's kinda working on a fancy dress thing and I don't think she really wants to talk to anypony.” She leaned closer to Twilight to whisper, “She's kinda in a bad mood.”

“Oh yeah?” Twilight couldn't help but smile. “Why would you say that?”

“Because she's being a real jerk when I try to help her.” The little unicorn grumbled.

“Well, maybe I can get her to cheer up. Is she in her room?” Twilight guessed.

“Yeah, but she's got the door closed. If she lets you in, will you tell her I went to see Apple Bloom?” Sweetie Belle called after her.

“I'll tell her, don't worry.” Twilight promised, heading upstairs.

She knocked on the bedroom door, wondering if there really was an urgent order for a dress or if Sweetie Belle's specific brand of 'helping' was just getting on Rarity's nerves. The reply to her knock pretty much answered her question.

“Sweetie Belle, I have told you! I need to finish this dress tonight or I will have to undercharge for being late! Now will you _please_ be so kind as to go do something else?!”

“She's already left,” Twilight answered back. “It's Twilight.”

There was a short, silent pause before sounds of scrambling could be heard and the door opened to a brightly smiling Rarity.

“Oh Twilight! I'm awfully sorry! Sweetie Belle has just been rather insistent today and I'm afraid she's worn my nerves a bit thin. Do come in.”

“Thanks. You sure I'm not interrupting anything?” Twilight asked, looking around curiously as she entered the surprisingly cluttered bedroom.

“Nonsense!” Rarity insisted, removing the tape-measure from around her neck and placing it on the work-desk. Twilight made a note of the fact that she did this with her magic.

“Now, what brings you here?” Rarity said brightly. “I really do need to finish this by tonight, but if there's something you need urgently, I can fit it into my schedule.”

“Actually there is, although it's not a dress or anything.” Twilight started. “I'm sorry to interrupt your work but it's kinda important.”

“Oh, by all means!” Rarity nodded, removing her glasses as well.

“Well, this might sound a little weird, but have you had any problems with your magic lately? I mean, has it been acting up at all?”

Rarity tilted her head slightly. “To be honest, I have had a few mishaps.”

“Oh yeah?” Twilight's ears perked. “What happened?”

“Nothing too serious, but I have been rather clumsier than what I'd like lately,” Rarity continued. “It's been awfully difficult getting my needle to do what I want it to. And threading the eye has been an absolute nightmare! My accuracy is completely off! Not to mention I keep dropping things at the worst time. I'm never quite _this_ clumsy so I must admit it has gotten me a bit worried.” She blinked at her friend, “But why are you asking, dear? Has something happened?”

“Hmmm. Maybe.” Twilight said as she bit her lip. She gave Rarity a quick rundown of what'd happened to her that morning as well as what Fluttershy and Discord had said.

“It may be a coincidence, but I really don't think so. If it was just me that'd be one thing, but for it to happen to Discord and now you... That can't be good.” Twilight finished.

“Do you think it will last long?” Rarity asked anxiously. “I mean, I have deadlines to meet! I can't afford setbacks slowing me down. This is my livelihood after all.”

“I'm not sure,” Twilight said. “But I think we need to ask the other unicorns in town and see how many, if any of them are having problems too. Maybe we can find a pattern or something and figure out what's going on.”

“But for it to affect you as well as that Discord, that's already two very different people having the same symptoms.” Rarity said as she led Twilight downstairs.

“Yeah, but maybe it's not really something to do with being a pony or a unicorn. Maybe it's because of something we've done in the past. Or maybe it's got something to do with the Elements of Harmony. Something that ties you, me and him together.”

“Hopefully you're right,” Rarity nodded. “Not that I like this at all, but at least we can find a way to reverse it, if there's a simple answer.”

“Exactly.” Twilight gave a determined nod. “We just need to go get pinkie Pie and then we'll have everypony covering the town.”

* * *

Rainbow Dash wasn't at home when Fluttershy and Discord knocked on her door, but it didn't take long to find her. She was above the park, clearing away several small rainclouds that had built up during the night.

“Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy, for lack of a better word, 'called' as she flew over.

“Oh hey, Fluttershy,” Dash said as she bucked one of the few remaining clouds out of existence. “If you were sent here to help, I got it covered.”

“Um. No. No I'm actually here because of something else.” Fluttershy said as she followed behind her moving to the next cloud.

“Oh yeah?” Dash asked as she dealt with it. “What about?”

“Well, Twilight came to see me this morning about her magic,” Fluttershy went on, once again trailing after her friend as she moved again.

“Her magic? Why'd she see you?” Rainbow kicked at the newest cloud but instead of dissipating, it instead grabbed hold of her hoof and clung to it as if she'd just tried to kick wallpaper glue. She gave a startled cry, flapping her wings wildly to try and stay airborne.

Fluttershy frowned as she addressed the immediate area. “Discord!”

“I do apologise.” He replied, a zipper opening itself up in mid-air for him to appear out of. “It was just too big a temptation.” He was trying hard not to burst out laughing.

“Figures!” Rainbow Dash snapped. “Get me outta this thing will ya?!”

“Alright fine.” Discord sighed.

There was a short pause in which nothing happened.

“Well? Lemme go already!” Rainbow insisted, flailing helplessly.

“Hmm. Alright. One more try.” Discord said, his smile fading.

The sticky cloud made a pop before disappearing. Rainbow Dash only fell a couple of feet before she regained her lift and hovered in place.

“Very funny, Dingus!” She grumbled, shooting Discord a dirty look.

“I suppose.” He nodded in agreement. “However no less annoying. The sooner we get this fixed, the happier I'll be. It's really blocking my creative flow.”

“Fluttershy, what is he talking about?” Rainbow said irritably, waving a hoof at him as she turned to her friend.

“That's just it. Apparently Twilight and Discord are having problems with their magic.” Fluttershy answered calmly.

After a short explanation the three of them started heading in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres.

“Man that's gotta suck.” Rainbow said with sympathy. “Twilight not being able to do magic is like me losing my wings.” She gave Discord a small, stabbing glance over her shoulder. “I hope it's not serious.”

“I hope so too.” Fluttershy nodded. “I'm really worried it could be a magic flu or something.”

“My dear Fluttershy, I have not been ill a single day of my life and I don't plan to start now.” Discord added, ignoring Rainbow Dash. “Besides, I feel fine.”

“Well, if you've never been sick how would you know how it feels?” Rainbow gave him a cheeky grin.

“I've heard enough whining and complaining from sick ponies to get the general idea.” He said, sticking out his forked tongue. “It was always 'eeenh. My head hurts' or 'Uuuugh. I keep sneezing' or 'aaargh, One of my eyes fell out'. It got so repetitive I could almost sing along eventually.”

“Not that I think I'm gonna like the answer, but why exactly were sick ponies coming to you?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow.

“You forget, I ran this little dog and pony show for a while.” His face dropped into an annoyed scowl. “Until that uppity princess of yours and her sister decided to steal it.”

“Hey!” Rainbow Dash came to an abrupt stop. “Don't go insulting the princess while I'm around, ok?!”

“I was merely stating a fact, Rainbow Dash.” He said with a wide smile, petting her on the head. “I was in charge, our esteemed regents showed up, and before I knew it I was 'fired' if you will.”

“I heard you made everypony in Equestria miserable!” Rainbow snapped, swatting at his paw.

“Oh dear... Um... Please... don't fight... ok?” Fluttershy squeaked.

“I made Equestria fun.” Discord said proudly. “Celestia and her sister made it boring.”

“They made it a place where ponies could actually live!” Rainbow yelled back, her temper rising.

“We really should keep going...” Fluttershy mumbled.

“So you say, but you weren't there, now were you?” He gave her a sly grin as he flapped his wings to get going again. “But by all means, take your Princess' word. I'm sure she's never made a mistake before.”

“You're a real creep, you know that?” Rainbow Dash snapped at him as she started moving again too.

“Such harsh language.” He said, feigning offense.

“Let's just say you two have different opinions and agree to disagree... ok?” Fluttershy tried carefully, putting herself between the two of them.

“Whatever,” Rainbow muttered to herself.

They flew in silence for a few minutes before Fluttershy spoke up again, turning to Discord.

“Your magic didn't work when you tried to get Rainbow Dash free of your cloud, did it?”

“Only for a moment.” He answered with a slight shrug.

“We better let Twilight know.” Rainbow Dash said seriously.

“Let's just tell the entire town, shall we?” Discord grumbled. “We could get a town crier and announce it to everypony! I'm sure they'd be overjoyed by the news. Why, they might throw me a parade!”

Rainbow Dash said nothing, but a spiteful smile spread across her face.

* * *

With all six ponies plus one draconequus asking around Ponyville, it didn't take long before all the unicorns were asked about their magic. Most gave the same story. Their magic was behaving strangely, usually in that it would choose random periods of time to just stop working, only to be fine a few minutes later. Despite some of the unicorns in town being annoyed or nervous about it, it didn't seem like anything serious had happened to anypony. However, despite identical symptoms, nothing else seemed to tie the ponies together. Whatever was affecting their magic was happening to both mares and stallions of all ages, and from every walk of life.

It was late in the afternoon, almost evening, when the little group met up at Twilight's library again.

“Ugh! I don't get it!” Twilight groaned. “Every unicorn in town has had a problem of some kind and yet nothing's causing it!”

“Well, it's gotta be something. Things don't just happen for no reason.” Rainbow Dash added from her own spot in the main room.

“Are you sure it's not a magic flu or something, maybe?” Fluttershy asked.

“If it was it'd be very weird for everypony in the entire town to all get sick at once.” Twilight shook her head. “And then there's Discord. How exactly does a magic flu affect both ponies and a.... whatever at the exact same time?”

Discord, who had made himself comfortable leaning against the staircase wall raised a bored eyebrow at Twilight. The group had all found various spots in the room on cushions and throw pillows, tired out from walking and flying the entire length and breadth of the town. With no answers and only a better idea of how wide-scale the problem was everypony was feeling irritable and on edge. Spike, who'd noticed this as soon as they'd walked in, was doing his best to dose any serious temper flares with a lot of tea, juice or whatever else he could find on hand to offer them.

“Perhaps there's a natural cause for it.” Rarity added. Her anxiety had grown dramatically throughout the day.

“I don't know.” Twilight shook her head again. “I don't think there's a stellar alignment or anything that'd cause this.”

“And there's no way the weather team would let something like this happen if they knew about it.” Rainbow Dash added confidently.

“As far as weird natural things go, ain't nothin' wrong' with any of my animals or crops.” Applejack said. “Might sound funny, but if there's something' strange happenin' nature wise they're the first ta let you know about it.”

“I don't think I have a 'weird nature thingy' twitch. But if there was something weirdo like that happening, I'd probably find a way to have one.” Pinkie said enthusiastically. “I also haven't had any 'magic flu' twitches, 'Magic-draining spells' twitches, or 'magic-vampires' twitches.”

“Magic vampires?” Spike, tray with refills firmly clasped in his claws, froze in place. “There are magic vampires?!”

“I don't know.” Pinkie shrugged. “But if there were I'd definitely have a twitch for that! Or at least a shake. Or maybe a wobble!”

“The point is, if it's something happening naturally we'd probably be able to figure it out a lot easier.” Twilight interrupted.

“So there's no magic vampires?” Spike asked, a serious frown on his face. “Don't say 'no' unless you mean it! I really don't wanna go to bed thinking I'm safe only to wake up to one hovering over me in my sleep.”

“Why would a magic vampire be tryin' ta attack you?” Applejack frowned at him.

“As the resident dragon, I'm the most magically charged person in this town.” Spike puffed out his chest proudly. “Just because I can't _do_ magic doesn't mean I don't _have_ magic.”

“There's no such thing as magic vampires, Spike.” Twilight sighed. “At least, not in the way you're thinking.”

“Wait... what's that supposed to mean?” Spike set her with a hard stare as he handed Rarity her cup of tea.

“You do get some animals that feed on magic but they're very small and they live in deep caves. They don't attack ponies and they _really_ don't steal as much magic to have this kind of effect on ponies!”

“So they're not gonna crawl into the library when I'm trying to sleep?” He said, to make sure.

“If there was something like that in Ponyville, I'm sure I would've seen it coming out of the forest.” Fluttershy said with a kind smile.

“If I may interrupt,” Discord spoke up, scratching at an ear with as much boredom as he could possibly gather, “you could always ask somepony with experience if something like this has ever happened before. Somepony a little older than yourselves perhaps?”

“Oh yeah?” Rainbow Dash scrunched her muzzle at him. “And who exactly do you think we should ask?”

“Well, I don't mean to brag,” He said as he stood up, fully intent on bragging, “but I am the oldest in this little countryside by... oh I'd say... at least two, maybe three thousand years?” He put his nose in the air. “You _could_ ask if I've ever seen anything like this before. But then, _far_ be it from me to instruct your eminent highness on how to handle these situations.” He said this last bit with a very exaggerated bow towards Twilight.

She shot him a very sour expression in return but nevertheless asked through clenched teeth, “Well? _Have_ you ever seen something like this before?”

“No.” He grinned widely at her, flopping back down on his spot and crossing his arms behind his head. “Of course I can't tell you anything about the few thousand years I spent as stone. You'll have to ask our _other_ eminent highnesses for info during that time period.”

Twilight gave a loud growl at this, glaring daggers at him.

“That may be a good idea.” Applejack said, causing everypony to snap their attention to her instead. “If anypony'd know what in the hay is s'pose to be happenin', it'd be the Princess. Maybe we should ask her if she knows anythin' about this?”

“I don't know.” Twilight bit her lip, calming down again. “If it is just a small magic flu or something I don't want her to think I couldn't handle it on my own.”

“But if it's not, then it might really be very serious!” Rarity added urgently, putting her cup of tea down. “And what if it gets even worse?! What if it's not just Ponyville?!”

“Calm down sugarcube.” Applejack reassured her as she seemed on the verge of hyperventilating.

“I think Celestia oughta know.” Rainbow Dash said. “Even if it is something small, maybe she's got like a reverse spell or something she can send you to fix it. At least she should know what's going on.”

“I agree.” Fluttershy nodded. “If it isn't anything serious she could give you some advice, and we shouldn't let the ponies in town worry so much about it.”

“I guess you guys have a point,” Twilight said in defeat. “I'll write her a letter and send it tonight. Hopefully you're right and it's something she knows how to deal with easily.”

“Well, not that this hasn't been an enthralling conversation,” Discord said, stretching himself out on the floor before standing up and cracking his spine into place, “But I'm all ponied out for the day. I'm heading home. Feel free to talk amongst yourselves but I need some sleep.” He turned and gave Fluttershy on his left a small bow. “My dear, I bid you good evening, and shall see you later.”

A hole opened itself up beside him on the floor, apparently to a dimension of green and purple spirals, which he stepped into before it popped in on itself with a small puff of confetti.

“Yeah well, good riddance.” Rainbow Dash grumbled, leaning her head on a hoof. “You were getting on my nerves.”

“That's not very nice Dash.” Fluttershy said, giving her a puppy-eyed stare.

Rainbow Dash sulked and mumbled something to herself, but didn't try to argue.

“We probably should all get to bed though.” Applejack said as she stood up. “Ain't worryin' gonna fix nothin'. Better wait ta hear what the princess says and take it from there.”

“Wouldn't it be funny if we stayed up all night trying to figure out how to fix this and the answer was to get lots of sleep?” Pinkie Pie giggled. “Gosh, wouldn't that be hilarious?”

“I wish it was that simple.” Twilight said as she stood up too. “But you're right Applejack. There's no point worrying about it if we can't fix it.”

“Well, keep us updated ok guys?” Rainbow Dash said to the two unicorns as they headed to the front door.

“You bet.” Twilight waved everypony goodbye. “And if you find anything let the rest of us know, ok girls? G'night.”

The others gave their goodbyes before splitting up in the various directions of home. After seeing them off Twilight immediately went to her desk to get a fresh scroll and quill. “Spike, we need to send a letter.”

“You got it.” He said, putting down the glasses he was collecting before trotting over. Taking the parchment and quill from her, he took his spot. “Fire when ready!”

* * *

_Dear Princess Celestia_

_Lately there's something funny going in Ponyville. All the unicorns in town seem to be having problems with their magic. It keeps failing for short periods of time for apparently no reason. It's affecting everypony regardless of who they are and even seems to be happening to Discord. I don't know if you've ever seen anything like this. Do you have any advice on what to do or what could be causing it? _

_I hope you and Princess Luna are doing well_

_Your faithful Student_   
_Twilight Sparkle_

* * *

The next day rolled around without a reply. Twilight wondered if maybe Princess Celestia was busy with some official business or visiting an area of the kingdom that needed her attention. The magic problems had gotten worse overnight. Maybe it was just because their investigation yesterday had called attention to it, but more unicorns were complaining of being unable to do things properly. The other ponies in town, although not having any problems of their own, were becoming distracted as well. There were rumours that other symptoms that affected all ponies would start happening, although nothing had been reported to back that up. Apart from the rise of worried conversations in the street however, not much else changed in the small town. Some of the unicorns who were having a hard time completing their daily tasks asked their neighbours for help, but things seemed to at least still be functioning.

Another day passed and still there was no reply. Things got worse. If a unicorn's magic managed to do anything at all they were lucky. Concern was turning into paranoia and more than a few unicorn-owned stores had to close, simply because their owners couldn't do their day's work. Some ponies even came to knock on Twilight's door, asking for help. It was a nail in her heart every time she had to tell them she was waiting for a reply from the princess and to wait until then, sending them home.

On the morning of the third day things had reached their breaking point. Twilight called another meeting with her friends at her library and after they all arrived (and in Rarity's case, gotten something sweet to drink to calm her nerves,) they went straight to the topic at hoof.

“Still no word from the Princess?” Rainbow Dash asked the obvious first. She was pacing the length of the room irritably.

“No, nothing.” Twilight shook her head. “She should've gotten back to me ages ago! I don't know if she's maybe away from Canterlot or something, but even if that was the case Princess Luna should've gotten it and written back! But I haven't heard anything at all!”

“Have you tried sending a second one?” Rarity asked, her cup shaking between her hooves. Spike had sat himself next to her when he saw the state she was in and hadn't paid attention to anypony else.

“I sent another one this morning.” He said, giving Rarity a confident smile and a thumbs up. “Even if the first one got lost, and my letters never do, there's no way they can ignore a second one! Especially since it's from another princess, right Twilight?”

Twilight shifted, a little uncomfortable with the title. “I guess so. But yeah, the chances of two letters getting lost through Spike's flame isn't gonna happen. I don't think I've ever had _one_ letter get lost. But we decided better safe than sorry.”

“I hope she gets it this time.” Applejack sighed. “Ponies are losin' their heads out there. If we don't get some kinda attention, this is gonna get ugly.”

“We'll take care of it before it gets too chaotic.” Twilight said determinedly. “Even if I have to do something myself, we'll keep things under control.”

Somewhere in the corner of the room Discord scoffed at this but said nothing. He was scowling to himself and scratching grooves into the wooden floor with his talons.

“Silly! You don't have to do anything by yourself!” Pinkie Pie smiled widely at Twilight.

“She's right.” Rarity nodded. “If we need to knock some sense into anypony's head we will do so together.”

“It's not just ponies though,” Fluttershy said, looking worried. “Some of the animals that I feed in the evening seem to be having a hard time too.”

“So?” Dash stopped her pacing. “What's that got to do with the magic loss thing?”

“Well,” Fluttershy started, thinking for a moment. “Some of the animals I feed live on the outskirts of the Everfree forest. Or at least they spend the day there. Some of the forest-deer's antlers are losing their leaves and it's still a long time before fall. And I haven't seen any salamanders with their fires burning since yesterday.”

“And that's... a bad thing?” Rainbow arched an eyebrow as she finally flopped down on a pillow.

“Salamanders are fire elementals.” Twilight explained. “And forest-deer are different from regular deer as their antlers correspond with the seasons. Both have a bit of elemental magic in them.”

“Right.” Fluttershy nodded. “But they haven't been looking very well for the past couple of days. I'm getting worried.”

“Great. So not just ponies and whatever's, but now we got the local wildlife going crazy too!” Rainbow sprung up again and resumed her pacing and she blew an irritable huff.

“Oh they're not going crazy. They're just-” Fluttershy's sentence got cut-off by a loud knock on the door.

Twilight sighed as she got up. “Just a sec everypony. It's probably another unicorn asking for help.”

The others watched sympathetically as she opened up, ready to once again give her apologies and send the pony away. The knocker greeted her with a furious glare, gritting her teeth and looking about ready to headbutt anypony who said the wrong thing to her.

Taken aback, Twilight had to think a moment before she spoke. “Hello, can I help you?”

“It'd be a nice change!” The furious mare snapped as she pushed passed her and marched into the library. The collected group frowned at her as Applejack got to her hooves and Rainbow Dash stopped pacing again.

The mare apparently didn't even notice them as she scanned the room for a second before he gaze homed in on Fluttershy and Discord. Her nostrils flared as she stomped over to them.

_“You!!” _She practically yelled.

“Um... er....” Fluttershy somehow managed to stand up while walking backwards at the same time. “Yes?”

“You and you!!” The mare's hoof snapped between her and Discord whose claw had frozen mid-gouge. “I can't take it anymore!! If nopony is going to confront you then I'll do it myself!!”

“Madam, I am certain we have no idea what you're talking about.” Discord said, his voice uncharacteristically icy.

The unicorn mare didn't so much as flinch. “You know exactly what I'm talking about!! I'm talking about _this_!!” She gestured at her own horn. “I'm talking about the entire town going haywire!! I'm talking about the last straw in this little game of yours!! Well I've had enough!! And so have all the other unicorns!!”

“Now wait just a second.” Twilight said, stepping in and focusing the intruder with a stern glare. “You can't just burst in here and start throwing accusations around!”

“It's not an accusation!! You know as well as anypony that that monster over there has caused nothing but trouble since he got here!!” She yelled back, once again waving a hoof at Discord who was watching her dispassionately, chin resting on a paw.

“Even if that's true, you can't just decide he's responsible for this!” Twilight raised her voice.

“If he really was the one causing all this, do you really think we'd let him get away with it?” Rainbow Dash added, walking over to give Twilight some back-up. Behind her, Rarity and Pinkie Pie got to their hooves too.

“Then you're all either blind or idiots!” The mare screamed back, her gaze flitting to Rainbow Dash for a moment before she turned her attention back to Discord. “How can you defend this this... _Thing_?! We've had every kind of plague you can imagine in the past few months and it always comes back to him!!”

“But it's not his fault this time.” Fluttershy said in a shaky yet firm tone. “Discord hasn't done anything that would really hurt us since he's moved here. And whatever's happening is happening to him too.”

“Oh of course _you'd_ stick up for him!!” The mare gave a humourless laugh. “He's got you so wrapped around his finger he could get you to jump hoops for him! But I'm not so easily fooled and neither are the other unicorns!”

“That's not fair!” Pinkie Pie yelled. “Everypony knows Fluttershy isn't good at jumping hoops! You don't have any right to make fun of her like that!!”

“And she's not lying either.” Twilight added. “Now please, I know this is stressful for all of us, but you're not gonna help anything by starting fights. I must insist that you leave.”

“You mark my words, I'm not through with you!” The unicorn mare screamed back as she turned to go. “You can kick me out if you want but I'm not the only unicorn in town!! If this doesn't get fixed it won't be the Library we'll come to visit!! And you can't hide in that little cottage forever you spineless, cowardly-”

“I believe,” Discord interrupted her tirade as he uncurled and stood himself up to his full height, “that you were asked to leave.” His eyes locked onto hers “And I would not finish that sentence, if I were you.”

The mare made a noise in the back of her throat as she glared at him but she said nothing. An icy silence hung in the room for a moment before she turned and marched out, slamming the door behind her so hard it swung open again. They could see her meet up with two other unicorns at the end of the path and a heated conversation start as they walked away.

“Charming lady.” Discord said as he lay down cat-like on the floor, suddenly looking completely bored by the whole situation. “You know, I'm starting to understand why Celestia wanted me here of all places. I've yet to find one sane pony in this town.”

“Ya reckon she'll be back?” Applejack asked Twilight as they watched her disappear.

“Definitely.” Twilight said grimly, closing the door.

“We need to do something, and fast.” Rarity said with a relieved sigh as she sat back down, pulling her cup closer and taking a deep drink from it.

“I can fly to Canterlot if you guys want.” Rainbow Dash suddenly spoke up. “It'll probably take two days but I can make it there and see what's going on.”

“Hmm... Maybe.” Twilight said as she returned to her seat.

“Are you kidding?” Dash shot her a proud grin before getting herself in a stance, pawing at the ground eagerly. “I hardly ever get to do cross-country flies! It'd be a good endurance test!”

Twilight nodded but still didn't look completely convinced. “We're running out of options, and I know you can get there faster than anypony else. But I'm worried we might need you here in case anything happens.”

“Like what?” Fluttershy asked.

“I don't know.” Twilight pulled a face to herself. “I just have a bad feeling...”

There was another knock on the door.

“Not again.” Applejack stood up and marched over to the door. Behind her, Discord pushed himself to his feet.

“Look we told ya...!” Applejack started as she swung the door open. She swallowed the rest of her sentence when the knocker took several steps backwards in shock.

“Oh...” Applejack smiled sheepishly, clearing the doorway. “Erm... Twilight you're er.... you've got some mail.”

“Oh?” Twilight walked over, blinking at the startled mail-mare. “Sorry about that. Is there something for me?”

“Uh...Uh-huh!” The pegasus mare nodded hurriedly, digging in her sling-back and holding an envelope out at foreleg's length with a nervous smile. “It's from Canterlot. Mail system's outta whack so it's a little late. Sorry 'bout that.”

Twilight took the letter with a frown, looking it over. “Canterlot?”

“Your parents maybe?” Applejack suggested.

Twilight shook her head. “No, it's too fancy looking.”

“Erm... can I go?” The mail-mare shifted nervously in place.

“Yeah yeah. Thanks for the mail.” Applejack shooed her as Twilight turned to open the letter. The rest of the room closed in on her curiously.

She read the letter through with a frown before pulling back with wide eyes. “Uh oh.”

“Well? What is it?!” Pinkie bounced up and down at the back of the group eagerly. “What's it say?!”

“It's from Princess Celestia.” Twilight said, looking up at the rest of them.

* * *

_To my most Faithful Student_

_Communications are difficult at the moment, but from what I have been able to hear it seems that all of Equestria is having serious difficulties in the areas of magic. I am unsure if this has happened in Ponyville or not. I have been trying to get in contact with you through your assistant Spike, but I have not had a reply in some time and so have sent this through the regular mailing system, hoping it will reach you._

_I ask that you and the other bearers of Harmony have an audience with me at the Canterlot Palace as soon as physically possible. I need your help in this matter. The railway systems are still running at the time of my writing this and should be the most reliable way of traveling during this time._

_Please heed my call and I await your arrival._

_Sincerely_   
_Princess Celestia of the Kingdom of Equestria._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original A/N (9 October 2013)  
I was hoping to get to Canterlot by this chapter, but I guess it's the next one. The characters wanted some time to breathe it seems. I hope you guys find that to be ok.


	4. Canterlot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A reminder this was written before the Tree of Harmony was introduced to canon, and as such I built a sort of mythology of my own since at the time we did not have any answers to where the elements of Harmony came from and what Discord's connection or experience with them was. This was also before canon established pegasi use magic to fly.

The train pushed forward through the rolling hills, tamed forests and stretches of open pasture of the Equestrian landscape. With the rather bizarre choice by the train's original engineers of using steam power rather than magic, it was unaffected by the epidemic and ran on schedule, as always. Twilight and her group of friends had a car to themselves as they made the trip towards Canterlot.

“I always found these hulking machines to be rather crude, but thank heavens somepony out there was more open-minded than I am,” Rarity said from her seat. “I have no idea how we would have gotten to Canterlot without it.”

“We would've figured somethin' out,” Applejack said, her eyes glued to the passing landscape outside the window, “Just 'cause you don't got any magic doesn't mean ya can't do nothin'.”

“Well yes. I never meant to insinuate...” Rarity blushed at her friend.

“It's alright, Sugarcube,” Applejack gave her a smile. “I know what ya meant.”

“I really hope the Princess is ok,” Twilight mumbled, mostly to herself.

“Why shouldn't she be?” Rainbow Dash looked up from her book to frown at her.

“I don't know,” Twilight shook her head. “I was just thinking; if Ponyville is going crazy without magic how do you think a big city like Canterlot is handling the situation?”

“Yeah, but Canterlot has royal guards and stuff,” Rainbow grinned. “Now way they'd take any flack from ponies trying to make trouble! You'll see. I bet the Princess has things perfectly in control.”

Twilight smiled, “Yeah, you're probably right.”

“I hope they're not being too hard on everypony,” Fluttershy said with concern. “I mean, yes it's important to stay calm, but they're probably scared and confused. It's not like they're trying to be mean on purpose.”

“I'm sure they're fine,” Rainbow scoffed.

“What I don't get is what the Princess thinks the Elements of Harmony will be able to do in this situation,” Twilight sighed. “I've re-read all the books I could find on them and none of 'em say anything about strengthening or healing magic. They just talk about Celestia and Luna using the elements to build Equestria and stuff.”

“She probably found out there's a bad-guy doing all of this and wants us to go blast him!” Pinkie Pie said. “Or maybe there's some super special spell she needs us to do to fix it! Like how we made Twilight an alicorn!”

“That was more the Princess' doing than anything else,” Twilight said absently, still thinking it over.

“She might be right though,” Applejack said. “I'm guessin' there's some kinda trick she wants us to do to fix this whole mess.”

“Maybe,” Twilight said.

“I hope it won't take long,” Fluttershy said. “I don't like leaving my animals alone for too long. They get a bit rowdy if you don't give them some rules and structure.”

“You mean you don't want to leave them alone with Discord for too long,” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “Can't say I blame you.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “No, that's not it. I have perfect confidence in him behaving himself while I'm gone.”

“Yeah well, hope springs eternal I guess,” Applejack sighed.

“I find her faith in me quite becoming.” Discord's head popped itself out of Fluttershy's saddlebag, completely ignoring physics saying he was too big to fit in it.

Shrieks of surprise came from each pony in the car, Fluttershy tumbling off her seat to the floor.

“Discord!” Twilight yelled, half in surprise and half in anger. “What in Equestria are you doing here?!”

“I thought I'd tag along, see how the old place is doing without me,” He said as he pulled free of the bag before dusting himself off, “And our dear sovereigns as well, of course.”

“How the heck did you fit in there?!” Rainbow snapped, inspecting the saddlebag. “Did your magic _conveniently_ decide to work or something?”

“If only,” He sighed dramatically as he sat himself on Fluttershy's bench, crossing his legs and picking her up off the ground by the tail before setting her upside down beside him. “It took me almost two hours last night to get the damn spell to do what I wanted to. However, I just knew I couldn't resist the look of joy on your faces when you found me coming along.”

The group scowled at him.

“What about my animals?” Fluttershy said as she rolled herself the right-way-up again. “You didn't just leave them, did you?”

“As big as the temptation was to set them free to stampede the town, I asked Rainbow Dash to look after them in exchange for some rubies.”

“Huh?” Rainbow Dash pulled a face at him. “Ok look, I know it's your job and all, but you're making less sense than usual. I'm right here! And you sure as heck didn't give me anything!”

He waved a paw at her. “Not you. The _other_ Rainbow Dash. Small guy? Purple Scales? Breathes fire but never actually uses it for anything fun?”

“You mean Spike?” Twilight blinked.

“Yes, that's the one,” He nodded. “The new Rainbow Dash as you call him.”

“Twilight, what is he talking about?” Rainbow Grumbled.

Twilight gave a sheepish laugh. “I'll er... explain later.”

“The point is, your menagerie is taken care of, my dear,” Discord said, addressing Fluttershy.

She smiled back, satisfied. “Oh good.”

“We can't turn around and send him home can we?” Applejack said, getting up from her seat.

“We're already halfway there,” Twilight said. “Besides, the princess is expecting us as fast as possible. I guess he'll.... just have to come along.”

“Splendid!” Discord gave a small applause. “I do admit, I did not look forward to being lynched by the townsponies while you six were gone.”

“I guess that's a good point too,” Rarity sighed. “He can't really do much damage without any magic, and it's probably better he's with us where we can keep an eye on him.” She gave him a look as if he was a grease stain on her favourite dress. “I am sure as long as we are all civilised it won't be a complete disaster.”

“Oh well of course, fair Rarity,” He said with mock charm. “There's no better place for Sophistication and Civilised living than Canterlot, after all.”

“Ooh! We should ask Discord if he knows why the Princess wants to see us!” Pinkie said suddenly, bouncing on her seat. “Do ya? Why's the Princess asking us to see us, huh? Can the Elements of Harmony really fix all of this and make Twilight and Rarity better?”

“I haven't the slightest idea,” He answered. “Apart from the Glowing Rainbow of Death I know very little about those accursed things.”

“And you're tellin' the truth right?” Applejack eyed him.

“He probably is,” Twilight answered for him. “From what I've read, Celestia and Luna found the Elements of Harmony while Discord was ruling the country and then immediately used them to turn him to stone. Not much chance of him learning anything after that.”

“What about before?” Pinkie said, turning to grin at him. “Did you know anything about the Elements before Celestia blasted you with them?”

“I really wish you wouldn't use the word 'blast',” He pulled a face at her before thinking it over. “I'm not sure. I think there's something about them from a long time ago, but it could be about something else.” He shrugged, sitting back and crossing his arms behind his head. “Probably wasn't that important if I can't remember.”

“Well you're a lot of help,” Rainbow scoffed.

“Maybe if you give it some time you'll remember later,” Fluttershy said with a soft smile.

“Doubt it,” Rainbow mumbled as she and Discord glared at each other across the car.

“I hope the city is operating normally enough for us to get some shopping done while we're there,” Rarity changed the topic with a sigh. “Do you remember you promised to show me that quaint coffee house the next time we visited?”

“Yeah I remember,” Twilight nodded. “I don't know if they'll be open during all of this, but if we have time we can check.”

“I wonder if the Wonderbolts are gonna cancel their upcoming show,” Rainbow pulled a face to herself. “I hope not! It'd be kinda dumb, right? It's not like they use magic or anything. And ponies could use the distraction!”

“Don't they have unicorns running the safety crew and stuff?” Applejack said. She'd heard enough Wonderbolt rambling to know more about their shows than any earth pony farmer ever should.

“Most of the crew are pegasi,” Rainbow said. “They used to only do shows in Cloudsdale and they kinda just took their crew with them when they started touring other cities. I don't know about the ponies running the venues they use though.”

The topic drifted to various other things the group wanted to see and do while in the Capital. After a while it turned to wondering where they were going to spend the night and if they were gonna get their own wing in the palace again. Eventually the conversation petered out completely and each pony focused on passing the time in their own way. Either by reading, watching the scenery go by or trying to catch a small nap.

Discord was fidgeting in his seat. He was trying his hardest to get his mind focused on something to pass the time but it wasn't working. All he could think about was what kind of reaction he'd get from the ponies on the train if he turned all the cars into different kinds of fruit, or maybe how long it would take before some of them noticed he'd switched their eye-colours. There were a thousand things he felt would be hilarious or get some priceless reactions that he was currently unable to do. He hadn't been lying about the saddlebag. He had spent a ridiculous amount of time, repeating the same spell over and over again to get reality warped enough where he could ride in a bag physically too small for him.

He could almost feel his powers seeping out of him. The confident, swirling sensation of having reality at his very claw-tips to do with whatever he wanted was weakening. Instead he could feel hesitation, frustration and a deep hollowness inside him. And the more he was aware of his power failing him, the more things he thought of that would be fun to do to the world at large.

His leg twitched listlessly as he stared out the window, bored out of his skull.

“Hey Discord!” Pinkie's voice cut through his thoughts like a buzz-saw. He pushed himself up a little straighter and gave a yawn in her direction.

“D'you know how to play Eye-Spy?” She gave him one of her widest grins.

“I believe I am familiar,” he said flatly, resting his chin in a paw.

“D'you wanna play?”

“Not really, no,” He rolled his eyes. “I'm all for games, but they do have to have at least some form of creativity to them.”

“What about charades?” She said, grin never wavering.

“Oh no. I'm no good at charades,” Rarity spoke up. Discord noticed that, despite Pinkie talking to him, the other ponies all seemed to have looked up to include themselves in the conversation.

“Hmmm.” Pinkie thought for a moment, rubbing her chin with a hoof before breaking into her grin again. “Oh I know! We should tell riddles!”

“D'you even know any riddles we haven't heard a thousand times?” Applejack asked although the question appeared to be an honest one and not a jibe at her friend.

“I know plenty of riddles!” She answered enthusiastically. “And no telling riddles we've heard before!”

“I'm game,” Discord said, lying himself down on the bed-like seat of the train, his forelegs crossed over each other as he gave Pinkie a grin in return.

“Great! I'll go first!” Pinkie somehow managed to get her smile even wider. She thought for a moment before reciting enthusiastically; “In a one-storey pink house, there was a pink pony, a pink cat, a pink fish, a pink chair, a pink table, a pink bathtub, a pink shower– everything was pink!  
What colour were the stairs?”

“Are you serious?” Rainbow grinned at her with a frown. “You just said everything was pink! So that's gotta go for the stairs too.”

“Nope!” Pinkie smiled at her happily. “It's a One-storey house! There are no stairs!” She proceeded to burst into a fit of giggles over this, rolling onto her back as she clutched her stomach.

“Ok, I see how it goes,” Applejack smirked. “So, what can ya catch but not throw?”

It didn't take long for the small group to get wrapped up in the game and soon scores came into it as Rainbow Dash insisted on knowing who was winning. Each time a pony guessed a riddle correctly it was up to her to then tell the next one. So far Pinkie was in the lead with twilight not too far behind her. Discord sat silently in his spot, watching answers get thrown back and forth between the group and grinning to himself. As the game started getting into its final stretches, Twilight's turn came around again.

She thought for a moment, smiling to herself before she said; “What's black and white and red all over?”

“A blushing penguin!” Pinkie answered almost immediately.

“I don't think penguins can blush,” Fluttershy said softly.

“A sunburned skunk,” Applejack tried when Twilight shook her head.

“Nu uh.” She grinned, clearly proud of herself.

“It's a newspaper,” Discord suddenly spoke up.

There was a small pause as everypony turned to stare at him. It almost seemed as if they'd forgotten he was still there. After a while Twilight grumbled. “Right.”

“My turn then,” He grinned widely.

“It's gotta be something that actually makes sense and has an answer!” Rainbow quickly interrupted. “You can't just make up nonsense, ok?”

“Oh yes, of course.” He nodded. “What do you take me for?”

“Do you really want me to tell you?” Rainbow mumbled but a sharp glance from Applejack silenced her.

“So...” Discord cleared his throat before staring down the small group. “I am the beginning of sorrow, and the end of sickness. You cannot express happiness without me, yet I am in the midst of crosses. I am always in risk, yet never in danger. You may find me in the sun, but I am never out of darkness.”

There was a long, drawn out pause during which the other ponies exchanged glances. Discord shifted deeper into the seat, watching them with obvious enjoyment.

“I'm... not really sure I want to know what the answer is.” Mumbled Rarity.

“If you forfeit I get the point anyway,” Discord smiled toothily at her, “And I get to go again.”

“Is it a graveyard or something?” Rainbow Scrunched her muzzle. “Something creepy like that I'll bet.”

“Not even close,” He said, putting his nose in the air.

“Is it even a thing we'd know about?” Applejack asked suspiciously. “Ya ain't talkin' 'bout a storybook monster we've never heard of, are ya?”

“I assure you, you are familiar with the answer,” Discord said, still sneering at the group as they struggled.

“Well I certainly have no idea,” Rarity said, as if she suddenly found the entire game silly. “I have no shame in admitting defeat.”

“Heck no!” Rainbow Dash snapped at her. “No way I'm just giving up!” She rubbed her temples with her forehooves but didn't seem to be able to come up with an answer.

As silence started to drag out in the car the whistle sounded off and the train started to slow down. One of the train attendant’s heads poked into the car.

“Canterlot Station, ladies. Make sure you've got all your belongings.”

“Great, maybe now we can find out what's going on,” Twilight said, standing up immediately to get her saddlebags.

The others followed her lead, quickly scrambling to gather their bags before trotting in the direction of the exit. Discord slid his way past them, giving Twilight a side-ways glance as he passed her.

“Incidentally, the answer was 'the letter S'.”

He flapped his wings once to overtake her and stretch himself out once he was in the outside air again. Twilight pulled a face, mostly at failing to figure out such a misleadingly simple answer. She didn't give him the satisfaction of knowing he'd outwitted her though.

* * *

Canterlot Palace was a short walk from the train station. It'd been designed so that dignitaries didn't have far to go when visiting the Princesses. Unfortunately this meant the small group failed to see much of the city itself. Twilight in particular was anxious to see if the city was noticeably different to how she knew it. The road to the palace was mostly the more scenic route, avoiding the inner city. However from what she could see on the faces of passing ponies and the occasional royal guard, things seemed at least to still be functioning. She didn't miss the increased tension in the air though. There were a lot of worried faces.

Entering the land officially belonging to the palace and approaching the formidable doors leading to the entrance lobby, Discord broke away from the group.

“Do you mind if I do some nosing around while you handle all the formalities?” He said as he began to leave, not bothering to wait for permission. “I want to make sure they're keeping my pedestal in good condition. See if good old Celestia has turned anypony else to stone to fill up the empty space.”

“You're not gonna go cause trouble, right?” Twilight frowned at him.

He made a dismissive noise at her, waving a paw in her direction. “Perish the thought! I just want to do a little sightseeing. Same as anypony else!”

“Oh, let him go Twilight,” Fluttershy reassured her. “I'm sure he'll be well behaved. Won't you, Discord?”

“If I could make a halo at this moment I would.” He smiled innocently, putting on what he thought of as his most trustworthy expression.

“Ugh. Fine,” Twilight groaned. "But don't expect us to come save you if you anger any of the guards.

“I wouldn't expect you to,” He said as he trotted off in the direction of the Palace's maze.

“Ya sure that's the best idea Sugarcube?” Applejack said as the palace doors slowly swung open to receive them.

“Of course,” Fluttershy nodded.

“Well.... ok then.” Applejack didn't sound so sure but the subject was dropped as they were met by one of the palace guards.

He led them through the cavernous hallways to the throne room, although why wasn't really clear. All six ponies had been to the palace multiple times and at the very last, knew where the throne room was. On top of that, Twilight knew the entire layout of the palace pretty much off by heart, having spent most of her childhood inside its walls.

_'Maybe things really aren't as in control as it seemed.'_She fretted silently as they walked. Then again, maybe the guy leading them was new and might not have known who they were. This, however, seemed unlikely. Swallowing her anxiety, Twilight Sparkle focused on getting to Celestia and finally having the answers she came here for.

The throne room looked the same as it had every time they'd been there before. Sunlight poured in through the high-arched windows, dotting the hall with a multitude of different colours.

Celestia, Princess of all Equestria, was seated regally on her throne, the way Twilight had seen her throughout her life. The mere symbolic image of the Princess eased her nerves slightly. She was currently talking to what Twilight recognised as one of the palace advisors who was trying to carry a rather large assortment of scrolls in his forelegs. Twilight's gaze drifted to his head for a second, confirming her suspicion that the stallion was a unicorn. He was flanked by princess Luna, who was listening intently, looking back and forth between the advisor and her sister. As the guard led Twilight and her friends closer though, something nagged her at the back of her mind that something seemed off. It was only when they got closer did she realise what it was.

“Your Highnesses, Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends have arrived,” The guard who'd escorted them announced with a bow.

“Thank you, you may return to your post,” She answered as she turned to greet Twilight with a welcoming smile.

“I'll go over these again and speak to your Highnesses later this evening,” The advisor said as his gaze fell over the six ponies. He wrestled his scrolls together and awkwardly trotted out the room. Princess Luna watched him go, a soft frown of concern on her face.

“I am glad you and your friends could make it so soon, my dear Twilight.” Princess Celestia stood from her throne, descending the small staircase to stand in front of them. “My apologies for the disobliging communications between us, lately. Things have been... difficult.”

“Not at all Princess,” Twilight said as she and her friends gave her a bow before doing away with the formalities. “How's Canterlot doing? Is everything ok over here? Are you and Princess Luna alright?”

“We are fine, for the time being,” Princess Luna said as she came to join Celestia. “Although We've been feeling this magic epidemic as much as everypony else. Obviously.”

Her gaze drifted to each pony individually, as if sizing them up. He sky-blue fringe had been brushed aside, her mane hanging around her shoulders loosely. Princess Celestia wasn't much different. Her normally flowing hair fell across one of her shoulders with a light curl. Its usual chrome of colours replace by a single shade of light pink. It felt... strange to Twilight. Seeing her like that. In her mind she told herself it was just a physical change and there wasn't really anything dangerous and upsetting about it, but her subconscious and her nerves were telling her differently.

“What's happening, Princess?” Rainbow Dash went straight to the topic at hoof. “What's going on out there? Every unicorn in Ponyville's lost their magic! It's going crazy!”

“Not just the unicorns, but the animals in the Everfree forest too,” Fluttershy added from somewhere behind her hair.

“Did you want us to come and beat up a bad guy who's doing all this?” Pinkie said as she growled at the room around them, as if expecting the culprit to jump out from behind a pillar.

“I'm afraid the answer to all of this isn't so easy,” Celestia said once everypony had settled down again. “To answer your first question, I don't know who is doing this. I've had patrols comb the entire city trying to find any suspicious activity or hear any rumours of strange ponies or other creatures appearing recently. So far they've come up with nothing.”

“At first we thought perhaps this was merely happening within the city walls,” Luna added. “But news has been filtering in from other towns and cities complaining of similar problems.”

“So you think it isn't coming from inside Canterlot?” Twilight asked.

“Although I do not want to rule out the possibility, I suspect whatever is causing the magic loss is coming from elsewhere, yes.” Celestia nodded.

“But what could even cause this?!” Rarity said. “What in Equestria could cause us to lose our magic?! And even affect your Royal Highnesses?!”

“We've had Our scholars and researchers scour the Canterlot library for some kind of explanation,” Luna answered. “Unfortunately this is a peculiar situation. We do not remember anything like this happening in all Our years as Princessess.”

“So... ya don't have any idea?” Applejack said with dismay.

“Perhaps not, but I think we may have found a starting point at least,” Celestia said.

She turned and walked to her throne again, removing a book from her arm-rest and bringing it over to Twilight. She set it down in front of her to see. The book itself didn't look too old, at least not in comparison to some of the books Twilight herself had read in the royal library. The leather that it was bound in was still in good condition and the gold lettering on it was clear and still had shine to it. It wasn't really what she was expecting from something that could give them some answers.

_“'Keepers of the Alternative Powers. A study of the Cults of the Arcane Powers in Equestria. By Ogham Augur.”_

“So, what's it all about?” Rainbow looked up after Twilight had read the cover out loud. “Is there like some group of crazies doing this?”

“Do you want us to go zap them?!” Pinkie said, bouncing enthusiastically in place.

“Not quite,” Celestia said. “The author of this book, Ogham Augur, is the leading researcher in the field of occult studies. He is the expert's expert on the subjects of peculiar cults, rituals and alternative worship within Equestria. If there is perhaps some connection there to what is currently happening to Equestria, he would be the pony to know.”

“So what does he say?” Rarity asked.

“That is where things get troublesome,” Celestia sighed. “Ogham has long ago left Canterlot. After he retired from his official duties as a palace scholar he moved to a town to the north of the Canterlot mountains. We have been trying to reach him since these events started but so far none of my usual methods of contacting him have been successful. Not even the simple mail has been able to reach him, possibly due to the confusion happening everywhere. Which is why I have called upon you six.”

“Us?” Rainbow stared at her. “You want us to go knock on his door and ask if he's got any info for us? Sure, no problem!”

“But why did ya need all six of us for that? ...Beggin' yer pardon Princess.” Applejack interrupted her eager friend.

“I have asked you here to give you a mission as the bearers of the elements of harmony,” Celestia said as she straightened again, regaining some of her more regal posture. “I need the six of you to travel to Ogham's home in the town of Coltchester and ask him if he has any information that could lead us to solving this situation. If he is able to give some insight on this, then I ask that you follow his lead, track down the source of this and find a way to resolve it.”

“Shouldn't we let you know what we find out first?” Twilight asked.

“I feel the longer we wait, the worse this situation may become. Coltchester is already a far distance to travel, and to return only to set out again could cost us time we may not have.” Her expression softened. “I realise I ask a lot of you in what is already an alarming and confusing time, but I have confidence in Ogham's knowledge, as I have confidence in your ability to reverse this blight.”

“If this is the work of a cult, magic gone awry or a sinister plot, the Elements of Harmony will be Our best weapon and defense against it,” Luna added. “And as my sister and I can no longer use Our power, it will be your task to reverse this and help Us restore Equestria.”

Twilight took a deep breath as she processed this but gave a firm nod in response.

“We won't let you down Princesses!” Rainbow added with confidence.

“Woo hoo! Road trip!” Pinkie cheered.

“I do hate to be the voice of reason... really, I do.... but aren't there a few holes in this little plan of yours, Celestia?” A voice echoed around the tall throne room.

“Discord. I was not aware you were here too,” Celestia said with a neutral tone.

Discord was hanging halfway into the throne room through one of the highest windows. It was opened inwards by a small fraction and he'd stuck his torso through it to watch the ponies below him. Once he was discovered he slid the rest of the way in and flew down to stand in front of the Princesses.

“It's been a while, Celestia. Love the new look. It takes about a thousand years off your face,” He said, although whether he was being sarcastic or not was unclear. “Now, I'm not saying that finding this bookworm of yours and going on a little adventure is really a bad idea, but how is your precious student suppose to take care of herself in the cold, unforgiving wilderness without any magic?”

“You forget, snaggletooth; we're going with her!” Rainbow said, buzzing right up to him to poke him in the chest. “So what if she can't do magic right now? I've never had magic and it's never slowed _me_ down! And with six of us there's nothing that can get in our way for long!”

“And I'm not just some student whose never left home before,” Twilight added with a frown. “There's more to me than just magic you know!”

“You don't need to explain yourselves to him,” Luna said, any icy bite to her voice as she stared down her muzzle at the trickster in front of her. “My sister is the one who trusts you unfalteringly, and therefore so do I. His opinion shouldn't be given much weight.”

“Maybe you're right, sweet Luna.” Discord snaked his way over to her, putting a finger under her chin. “However, I am curious as to why your sister would send children to do this so-called important mission and not you.”

“We are needed here,” Luna snapped, twisting herself away from him. “Keeping the ponies of Equestria safe and taking care of their fears is our task. Even if we were to ask somepony else, they would not be able to bring them the security they need right now.”

“Are you concerned there's something too dangerous for them to face alone?” Celestia interrupted. Twilight turned to stare at her but she was using her diplomatic face, not a single flicker betrayed her emotions or intent behind the question.

Discord immediately backed off at this and flapped his way back over to the small group on his back lazily.

“I was just curious as to how you expected them to do anything with that magic jewelry of theirs. After all, isn't the point of this little exercise to get magic _working_ again? Although I suppose watching them try and realise this little fact on their own might've been worth it.”

“Shows what you know,” Twilight tore her attention away from Celestia to glare at him instead. “The elements of harmony don't get their power the same way unicorns, salamanders and whatever the heck you are do!” She puffed her chest out proudly, a slight smirk on her face. “The elements get their power from our friendship! Even if there was no magic left in Equestria at all, as long as we stick together the elements will shine just as brightly as they always do!”

The other five ponies punctuated the little speech with various cheers and calls of agreement. Discord stuck his forked tongue out as far as he could.

“I think I am literally going to be sick. But fine! Fine! If that is how you believe the elements work I won't rain all over your little self-congratulatory party. Not that I thought anypony would listen to my sage advice in the first place. By all means, go and find your scholar and track down your answers.”

“You know we will.” Twilight stared him down. Discord shrugged in response but didn't argue back.

“Are you having magical disruptions too, Discord?” Celestia asked. Still staring with the same passive, unassuming tone of voice, although her eyes bore into him.

“We did just go over the whole 'magic everywhere is going down the drain' didn't we?” He rolled his eyes at her, crossing his arms.

“And yet climbing into a tiny bag didn't seem too hard for you,” Rainbow Dash remarked, giving him a slightly malicious smile.

Celestia said nothing for a moment, her eyes still locked onto Discord. She seemed to be thinking to herself. Luna watched her silently, frowning to herself as she waited to hear what was going through her sister's head. Discord on the other hand ignored her stare, leaning against his own tail as he sulked. After a moment Celestia seemed to come to a decision.

“I feel it might be in everypony's best interest if you went with them, Discord.”

The cry of “What?!” echoed all around the room as the other ponies gawked at her in disbelief.

“Are you serious?!” Rainbow said, throwing her fore-hooves out. “Princess this guy's gonna drive us insane! He's just gonna make our lives difficult and give us even more problems than we already have!”

“Not to mention he's extremely uncouth and lacks any sort of manners!” Rarity added.

“Ain't there something better he could be doin' durin all of this?” Applejack said with more level-headedness than her friends.

“Your votes of confidence are overwhelming,” Discord remarked flatly, although there was a hint of a grin on his face.

“Sister, I must ask what you presume he can contribute to all of this?” Luna asked skeptically, although she didn't seem as against the idea as the six ponies in front of them.

“Discord is older than all of us,” Celestia rose her voice slightly, speaking formally to the group. “Although he has been imprisoned for millennia, he understands the dangers of Equestria's wilds, and he has travelled the land far more than Twilight and her friends have had the time for. He would be a valuable asset as a travelling companion and, should the need arrive, perhaps his insight on Ogham's information could be useful, coming from a different perspective. It would be wasteful to have him remain in Ponyville or even at the Canterlot palace.” She relaxed her shoulders again, speaking more naturally. “I wouldn't suggest it if I felt he'd only be a burden.”

The ponies shifted in place, a few of them looking slightly embarrassed. For the most part they still seemed unhappy with the idea.

“Hmmm. See the sights? Take a vacation from the dreadfully boring countryside to see the dangerous and wild countryside? Potentially get into some fights with crazy cultists? Celestia, I do believe you know me better than I had anticipated!” Discord grinned at her widely. He seemed honestly excited at the prospect.

Celestia gave the small group a nod and that seemed to be the end of the matter. “I am afraid we will have to do some catching up a little later. There is much Luna and I need to attend to at the moment. But please, make yourselves comfortable. I have arranged the west wing be prepared for you. I don't intend to kick you out and send you back to Ponyville immediately.” she said this last part with a more playful smile.

“Thank you Princess.” Twilight gave a smile and a small bow in return. “We'll start figuring out a plan of action.”

And with that, the meeting appeared to be over. The ponies plus one Discord left the throne room, muttering amongst themselves about the new information. Celestia watched their backs until they exited and the doors were closed behind them. After they were gone Luna walked to stand closer to her.

“You didn't want to tell them the real reason you wanted him with them?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow at her.

Celestia gave a weary sigh. “I didn't want them to think I had any doubts about either this plan or their abilities.”

“But you _are_ worried about them?”

Celestia was silent for a moment before a soft, private, “Yes.”

“We will overcome this sister,” Luna said, more gently.

“I'm not worried about them failing,” She said as she turned back to her throne, “But... I am worried about their safety.” She gave Luna sheepish smile over her shoulder. “Is that silly of me?”

“Maybe,” Luna said as she followed her. “But then you have always been the mother-hen type.”

“And you've always been the blunt type,” Celestia laughed softly as she returned to her seat. One of the Canterlot scholars was shown in, carrying a book almost the same size as he was on his back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New A/N: I wrote this before I really has a grasp on ending a spoken sentence with a comma rather than a period. So I'm sorry if that drives you crazy (i tried to fix it where I noticed it). I promise my punctuation has improved since this.
> 
> Original A/N (30 October 2013)  
Discord's riddle is apparently a traditional one, although traditional to what I'm not sure. Twilight's riddle unfortunately doesn't work too well in written text but it's one of my favourites so I wanted to include it.
> 
> Pinkie is really hungry for blood in this chapter and I'm not sure why XD As for Luna, I like her character in the third season more than the more popular idea of her being sweet and innocent. I like her more as some-one with a chip on her shoulder and a little snarkier and more cynical than Celestia.
> 
> Discord continues to make no new friends.


	5. A Strange Evening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> note; The fic was written before Season 4 of the show aired, and therefore the backstory of the Elements of Harmony is completely different in this fic than the show's canon.

Celestia had made arrangements so that each pony had their own room in the royal palace. They weren't the grand guest rooms used for visiting royalties, but they were still more lavish than any home in Ponyville. Despite everypony getting their own place, they still gathered in Twilight's room to go over what they were going to do the next day.

It was pretty clear that they needed to get to Coltchester as quickly as possible. Seeing as their bags were already packed and with no answers left in Canterlot, leaving the very next morning seemed like the best idea.

Usually, somepony would take one of the airships to traverse the thick forest between the capital and the small town. However, with the magical problems, air-travel was too unpredictable and unsafe to use. Keeping the flame under control in a small balloon would be difficult and the larger airships' engines required magic in some form to steer.

The next option was a carriage, but this idea was almost immediately scrapped. There was no point in using a carriage that was probably too small for six ponies and Discord that would need to have been pulled by an extra group of ponies.

In the end, it seemed the easiest way to travel would be on hoof. Coltchester wasn't too far to make it impossible and thankfully, despite the forest separating the two, the area was well mapped and documented. Twilight made sure to get the most up-to-date map she could from one of the palace scholars and together they worked out a route. It looked like a relatively easy trip. It wasn't as dangerous as the Everfree forest but still had its fair share of wild animals they'd have to watch out for, but other than that it seemed fine.

With their trip planned, their baggage gone through, unpacked and repacked to make sure they only had the essentials, they decided to call it a night and start the next morning as soon as they'd all had breakfast.

However, there was one small detail Celesta had not foreseen. She hadn't expected the seventh guest. Discord seemed entirely unconcerned and had apparently decided to just share Fluttershy's room. Not that he asked or anything, he just followed her when they all went to bed and promptly started scoping the room for a place to sleep when she closed the door behind them.

The bedroom was large and almost circular. Its walls were soft blue with one wall curving outward into a set of three, tall windows. In front of the windows, a large daybed, piled high with different bottle-blue pillows, had been placed to look out over the kingdom below. Discord made a B-line for it and flopped down, stretching his arms above himself and flipping several pillows to the floor with his tail.

“Finally, I can get some time away from ponies and their small-talk!” He crossed his arms behind his head with a content sigh. “A trip out into the wild, far away from villages, cities and towns. Won't this be fun, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy trotted to the delicate vanity table and put down her bags, rummaging around for her comb. She noticed that Discord hadn't even considered taking the canopy bed for himself. She made a mental note to praise him for being thoughtful later.

“I don't know about 'fun',” She said as she brushed out her mane. “It seems a little scary. I mean... Celestia talking about strange groups of ponies who use dangerous magic... I really don't like that. And traveling through a dark forest on our own... What if something bad happens to us...?”

“Don't be so gloomy, my dear,” Discord brushed her off nonchalantly. “There's nothing to worry about, you'll see. Your cottage is right next to the Everfree forest after all, and there are far worse creatures in those woods.”

“Yes, but I try not to go _into_ the Everfree forest.” She said, turning to brush her tail once or twice. “And even when I do, I know the Everfree forest a little better. I don't know anything about the place we're going to.”

“One forest is more or less the same as any other.” Discord rolled over to his stomach, grinning at her back. “They have some landmark differences and maybe different animals but in the grand scheme of things they're pretty much the same.”

“I don't know about that...” Fluttershy said as she put down her comb and trotted to the canopy bed, lying down to face him. “What if there's something in this forest that makes it special that you don't know about?”

Discord made a scoffing noise. “I'm sure I can handle it. Seeing as our dear Princess has decided to make me the designated babysitter, I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?” He rolled his eyes with the last remark.

“I'm sure she didn't mean it like that,” Fluttershy said. “Besides, even if she did, isn't it nice that she's trusting you enough to do something like that?”

“I think she's just trying to find more subtle ways of torturing me,” Discord sighed dramatically, pinching the bridge of his muzzle as if he developed a spontaneous migraine. “On the one paw, I'm delighted at getting to move around a little and having some freedom. On the other, I have to do it while tethered to the Princess of brown-nosing, Twilight Sparkle, and those other four you insist on spending time with.”

“That's a little harsh,” Fluttershy said in what probably passed as scolding. “They're my friends. I _like_ spending time with them.”

“Why, I have no idea.” Discord yawned as he curled his back. “They're so _dull_. Always going on and on with their mundane self-interests and day-to-day thoughts and mindless retellings of whatever they've been doing lately. I'm on the verge of falling asleep every time I spend more than ten minutes in their company.”

“I don't want to hear you criticising my friends in front of me, Discord.” Fluttershy threw him a serious frown. “I care about them and I don't like hearing people badmouth them behind their backs. It's not very nice.”

Discord cocked an eyebrow at her but didn't reply. Seeming unmoved by her words either way. She sighed and calmed down again. “I don't think you've really given them a chance.” She gave him a soft smile. “Maybe this trip will be a good way for you to spend more time with them. I'm sure you'll learn that there's more to them than you think there is.”

“I doubt it.” He pulled a face. “I've spent a lot of time around ponies already and I'm pretty use to what to expect.”

“Oh... I see...” Fluttershy sunk in place slightly. “Well.... I like them a lot. They're my friends... I just thought maybe if you tried to get to know who they really are, you'd like them too.... I guess...”

There was silence for a few moments as she stood up and started pulling back the covers. Discord watched her out of the corner of his eye. She crawled into bed and started tucking herself in when he gave a sigh, catching her attention.

“I enjoyed the riddles on the train. I always have had a soft spot for word games,” He said as he turned to watch something out the windows.

“Maybe next time you can play with us a little more.” Fluttershy smiled, perking up.

He broke into a smile at this, a glint in his eye. “My dear Fluttershy, what makes you think I wasn't playing the entire time?”

Her smile dropped in confusion. “But you only told one riddle. You hardly said anything during the entire game.”

He gave a laugh at this. “Telling the riddle isn't the only part of the game, Fluttershy.” He sat up a little straighter, gesturing dramatically. “You need to survey the competition. You need to observe how each pony plays their hoof, how their line of guesswork moves, how their thinking pattern works, what kind of questions they themselves will throw out with confidence and in what direction their questions go. Then, once you have your opponents pegged down to where they think they're the one in the lead, you strike. You back them in a corner and slowly weed them out one by one.” He waved a finger in the air with a knowing smile. “It's all in how you manipulate the game to your favour.”

Fluttershy stared at him for a moment before giving her head a gentle shake. “I don't know if I really understand.”

“Oh, sure you do.” He lay down again. “Perhaps in the context of a game it's a little confusing, but you and I both know you're no stranger to manipulation in of itself.”

She blinked wide-eyed at this, looking rather shocked. “Huh? I am? I never knew.” She tapped her chin with a hoof, looking worried. “I... I don't _think_ I've ever manipulated anypony. Maybe I did it without realising it? Oh dear... I'd better ask my friends and make sure I've never done anything like that to them... Oh my, I'd feel really bad if I came across that way...”

Discord watched her for a few minutes as she silently fretted. Eventually he yawned again and rolled onto his back. “Anyway; perhaps being on the road will make things a little more exciting regardless of who we're traveling with.”

“Huh?” She turned back to him before catching up with the conversation and smiling with a nod. “Oh. Yes. Yes, I'm sure it'll be livelier at least.” She pulled the blankets over herself before reaching to turn off the side-lamp.

“Even if it's a little scary, I think being in a group will make it more fun,” She yawned as she curled herself tighter, “and you'll be coming with us.”

“Indeed,” He replied.

* * *

Fluttershy spent most of the night dreaming of strange shapes among trees and being stalked down empty streets by a shadow. It never caught her, and she never found herself terrified, but the oppressive feeling of the strange dreamscape and the nervous tension of knowing an invisible threat was on her heels made her sleep restless. She trotted down an alleyway whose walls and cobblestone street had been painted black, the shapeless mass in an unseen corner behind her.

_“Just keep walking,” _She said to herself, looking in every direction for the invisible hunter. _“Keep going forward.”_

_“Now that's not very smart of you, is it?” _a Disembodied voice chuckled as she took another corner to avoid her pursuer.

_“I can't just stand still and get caught,”_ She answered, focusing on the twisting path in front of her.

_“You're not manipulating the situation to your favour,”_ The voice remarked, sounding almost bored.

_“What?”_ She came to a stop. _“I don't understand.”_

The second she came to a standstill however, the unseen pursuer threw itself over her and she snapped awake.

It took her a few seconds to focus and remember where she was. A large shadow above her made her start until she realised it was only the top of the canopy. The large room was almost completely dark except for the flood of moonlight shining through the triple windows. She realised neither she nor Discord had drawn the curtains before going to sleep, something she was rather grateful for at the moment.

Once she had woken up a little more, she realised there was a rhythmic, faint tapping sound in the room. Like a branch tapping at the window. However their rooms were far above the trees of the Canterlot gardens, and the sound was too orderly spaced to be an insect bumping against the walls. She listened for a few moments, at first nervous that it might be something she should be worried about. After a while though, she managed to relax again when nothing else seemed to happen.

She rolled over, pulling the blankets tighter around her shoulders. She turned her gaze to the light of the window, hoping to clear her head when she noticed Discord sitting upright. She blinked to herself, wondering what was going on. His silhouette stared down at at his own claw, and at least one of the mysteries solved itself as he snapped his fingers. She watched him for a moment, waiting to see what was going to happen, but nothing did. Discord merely snapped his fingers again, waiting for a few minutes before repeating the action.

Part of her wanted to ask him what he was doing and for a second she almost did, but before she could get the words out, she stopped herself. His outline sat absorbed in his task, oblivious of anything else around him. She wondered if he would be angry if she broke his concentration. Maybe he woke up and couldn't get back to sleep and was just bored. If that was the case, he would probably be happy to see she was awake too. She watched the place where she knew his face was, trying to catch his features in the low light. She could barely make it out, but if she strained her eyes she could pick out the line of a frown, and the soft reflection on his eyes as he stared at his claw. It almost seemed like he was snapping it in rhythm to something, even though the sound merely echoed around the room quietly without anything following or leading it.

Her curiosity burned, but she kept silent, feeling like a peeping Tom on what may be a private moment. But if it was a private moment, what was it suppose to be exactly? Would he be embarrassed if he knew that she was watching? Would he mention it himself if she pretended she never saw any of this? If she asked him what he was doing, would he even tell her?

She slid a little deeper under her covers at this last inner question. Partly because she didn't know the answer, but mostly because she could at least guess. Discord never really told her anything private. At least not about himself. He told her things she didn't think he would tell her friends. Mostly about how they annoyed him or things they probably wouldn't like hearing somepony say. However he never told her anything just about... him.

The claws snapped again, and this time there was a small spark, almost like static. There was a strange reverberation to the sound, as if there was more than just the snap. One of the dark throw-pillows on the daybed shrank in on itself before popping out again, having been transformed into a vase filled with a plant she couldn't recognise.

She heard Discord sigh and shift position. He reached out, picking up the newly formed vase and putting it beside himself on the floor. He then stretched his arms above himself, the faint sound of something clicking back in place barely audible. He pushed himself up, turned to face the opposite end of the daybed, and lay down again, his tail curling around him.

Fluttershy kept her eyes on him but after a few minutes she heard his breathing change as he fell asleep. Her gaze drifted to the shadow of the vase on the floor.

Eventually she rolled over to face the other side of the room, hugging the covers against herself.

_I don't understand you... _She thought as she lay alone in the dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original A/N: 3rd November 2013
> 
> A quick update with a shorter chapter. A shorter chapter, but an important one I feel. Perhaps as I go I might come back and tweak things a little bit here... which is not really how you should do things but as I've stated before, I'm really impatient.


	6. Start of a Journey

Morning came, as always, a little too early for Discord's liking. The moment the sun cleared the Canterlot mountains it proceeded to burst through the high windows next to the daybed and almost instantly woke him up. He grumbled at the unwelcome light before he changed his mind and grumbled at Celestia instead. After a few minutes of trying to ignore it, he had to admit defeat and got up and began to stretch himself in ways that seemed to suggest he'd lost all the bones in his body.

After the brief display of physics shattering, he turned to the canopy bed. Fluttershy wasn't there, and by the looks of it, she hadn't been there for a while. The bed was nicely made with the pillows fluffed and put back in their place. A quick glance to the vanity in the room confirmed that her saddlebags were still where she'd left them last night.

He didn't think much of her disappearance. Fluttershy almost always woke up before he did to feed her animals and get some food going. Taking a moment to clamber over the canopy bed and mess up the covers, he stepped out of the room and made his way through the palace chambers to go and find her.

He had taken a few turns and gone done more than a couple of hallways before he realised he wasn't sure where the kitchens were. He'd been going the way he remembered the old palace layout to be, without thinking about it. Despite realising this, he kept going the way he had been heading already. He was either going to end up where he wanted to go, or somewhere else. Either way something was bound to happen.

He kept himself entertained by inspecting the tapestries he walked past. He was inspired with some great ideas for those but, seeing as it would probably be more effort than it was worth to put them into action, he settled with pulling some of them down and hiding them in various places as he continued his search for the kitchens.

About halfway down one of the more lavish halls he noticed a couple of palace guards on patrol. Unable to resist, he took to the air and flew closer. They'd been chatting idly as they walked the length of the hall, but upon seeing Discord they immediately went silent and regarded him with hard, suspicious glares. They came to a standstill, the unicorn guard lowering his horn ever so slightly in aggression. Discord tried to contain his grin.

“Excuse me, gentlemen, I'm looking for my _friend_. Could you by any chance direct me to your fine establishment's kitchens?” He leaned heavily on the word 'friend' punctuating it with a wide, toothy grin.

The guards gave each other shifty glances, clearly not sure whether to trust their former enemy or not.

“Of course, if you'd rather not say I can always wander the castle trying to find it on my own. Unsupervised. By myself,” Discord said, inspecting a claw with feigned boredom.

The guards rethought their hesitance at this; “You're in the west wing. Go back the way you came, follow the hall on the left until you reach a staircase. It'll take you to the first floor. The door to the kitchen is at the end of the grand ballroom.”

“Of course it is.” Discord nodded sympathetically. “I'm sure, being who I am, I will be able to remember such direct and orderly instructions.” He then turned and flew away in the opposite direction, leaving two nervous and slightly confused guards behind him.

The kitchens weren't too hard to find after that though, and a few minutes later he crossed the grand hall where the Grand Galloping Gala was held annually and followed the adjoining hallway.

It seemed breakfast was over as only a handful of staff were left cleaning up the last of the disaster left in the wake of feeding the palace residence. Discord had woken up later than he realised it seemed. However, he could hear somewhere in the back the unmistakable sound of what can only be described as 'cookery'. He made his way past the rows of silver workstations to the source of the noise. However when he rounded the corner of the last row of stoves, chopping blocks and wash stations with the intent to startle his roommate, a very different pony greeted him.

“Hi there Discord!” Pinkie beamed.

“Ah. Pinkie Pie,” He answered, clearly disappointed as he tried to look past her in case Fluttershy was hiding somewhere.

“Are you here to help me bake cookies for the trip?” She smiled happily, a large bowl cradled in one foreleg as she stirred with the other.

“Not really,” He said as he turned his attention back to her. “Frankly I have better things to focus on right now.”

“You're not here to wreck the place and be a big meanie are you?” She asked, her smile snapping into a hard frown as she put the bowl on the counter.

“Oh please, and waste my time with these completely cowed ponies in the palace?” He pulled a face, sticking his tongue out as far as he could.

“Good!” Pinkie instantly switched back to her default mood.

“Yes. Well. If you'll excuse me,” Discord said flatly as he moved to go.

“Hey wait!”

Despite his better judgement, he turned back to her, only to have something abruptly stuffed in his mouth.

“I baked that batch earlier but I don't know if they'll do the trick as travel-cookies! They have to help us keep our energy up. Whaddya think?” Pinkie practically glowed at him, waiting for an answer.

Discord swallowed down the ball of sugar before rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Good texture. Well balanced. Likely to cause serious hyperactivity. Perfect, I would say.”

“Yay!” She bounced in place happily before spinning around and promptly shoving the bowl she'd be stirring into his arms. “You hold that and keep stirring! I'm gonna throw the rest of the stuff in it!”

“Oh goody.” Discord scowled at the mixture in his paws.

Nothing would've given him greater pleasure than to add a few 'ingredients' of his own while Pinkie's back was turned. He wondered if he could still get his chance with what was lying around the counter. However, it didn't seem like he'd need to as the next thing Pinkie tossed into the mixing bowl was a generous amount of chilli powder, humming to herself happily. She blinked up at him with a smile and made circular motions with a hoof.

“Stir! Stir!” She urged as she turned back to the counter.

Discord stuck his tongue out at her but did as he was told, if only out of curiosity as to what she was going to do next. He said nothing though, hoping that she'd made a mistake and was going to pay the price when she tested the dough.

The next thing to go in the bowl was almost an entire bag of sugar, eggs, chocolate chips, everything you'd expect from cookie batter. After she seemed satisfied with her concoction the moment of truth arrived and she dipped a spoon into it, taking a bigger bite than what was probably necessary. Discord waited, wearing his best poker-face. However, he was disappointed as she merely licked her lips and made various noises of approval.

“Perfect!” She squealed happily as she took the bowl again to presumably carry on with the next step.

A part of him really didn't want to take the bait but his curiosity had completely gotten the better of him. “Do you use chilli in all your cooking? I feel I should ask for future reference.”

“Of course not, silly!” She giggled at him with a snort. “These are for me! I like mine with a little extra kick! It's good!”

He nodded in response, satisfied with the answer. Feeling he'd been let go, he was about to leave when a thought crossed his mind. He smiled to himself as he pressed his forepaws together and said in what he felt was his most innocent voice; “Pinkie Pie, I just thought of a way to make snack-time on this trip a little more fun.”

“Really?” She twisted her head to grin at him.

“Why don't we take some of your 'extra-kick' desserts and mixed them in with everypony else's?” He said, walking closer to put an arm around her shoulders.

“Aw, but they don't like them spicy,” She sulked. “They always say it's way too hot for them!”

“But think of it for a moment,” Discord urged. “If you mixed them in with everypony's then it could turn it into a game!”

“Yeah?” She blinked at him with interest.

“It could be a game of luck,” He continued. “Because none of them will know which of your treats are spicy and which aren't, every time they eat one it's a surprise as to what they're going to get! It'd be like a game of roulette, only everypony gets cookies.”

“Ooh!” She clapped her hooves together. “That sounds great! We could take turns guessing what the next pony is going to get and dare each other to take two at a time and stuff!! It'll be super fun!”

“Indeed it will.” Discord grinned as he started to leave. “But I will leave that up to you as I have other things to attend to.”

“I think Fluttershy's in the gardens,” Pinkie said, turning back to her dough. “She's been trying to make friends with the animals there forever! They don't seem to like ponies though.”

“I see,” He replied as he left.

“Don't tell her about these cookies!” She called after him. “It's our secret!”

“I wouldn't spoil your fun, trust me.” Discord grinned to himself.

“Thanks, Discord! You're pretty neat!”

He hesitated for a moment, unsure how to reply to this. Eventually, he decided it probably wasn't worth answering and continued in the direction of the exit.

* * *

It hadn't taken him long to find Fluttershy. The second he entered the Canterlot gardens she trotted past, chasing after what looked like a chipmunk which bolted straight up a tree and out of sight. She hovered in front of it, looking despondently into its branches.

“Oh please come down,” She cooed. “I'm sorry I startled you. I just wanted to say hello.”

Again, a perfect opportunity presented itself and Discord was unable to snap his fingers and make the most of it. Instead, he made do with walking until he was directly behind her before speaking.

“Having trouble, my dear?”

Fluttershy shot straight up into the tree with a yelp, sending several twigs and one irritated squirrel to the ground.

“Oh... good morning Discord.” She smiled at him sheepishly when she recognised him.

“It doesn't look like the royal rodents around here are too friendly,” He remarked as she floated back to the ground, shaking herself free of leaves.

“They're probably just shy because ponies don't talk to them very often,” She answered, “If I just keep trying they'll realise I don't want to hurt them and they'll be my friends eventually.”

“If they think you're not good enough for them, I'd say just forget it and use your energy on creatures who are more worth your time.” Discord stuck his nose in the air.

“Like you?” She smiled innocently at him.

“Well I don't mean to blow my own horn...” He smirked and was rewarded when she laughed softly.

“Forget these snobs,” He said as he took flight to hover above her. “We can have fun without them.”

“Maybe if I give them a little space they'll calm down enough to come out,” She said, not fully listening to him.

“Yes, space. Like about 2 miles.” He nodded in agreement. “In fact why stop there? We can give them all the space in Equestria if they want it!”

“You're being mean,” She said with a light laugh.

“Just being myself, Fluttershy.” He shrugged. “Isn't that what you ponies always say is important?”

“Maybe...” She nodded.

“Unless you're a snob yourself, I suppose.” He suddenly gave a dramatic gasp. “Don't tell me you've been taking tips from our _debutante_, Rarity and want to join that little social circle of snobbery!”

“What? No, of course not!” Fluttershy shook her head, honestly alarmed at the idea.

Discord continued on with his performance, throwing an arm over his eyes. “All those trips to the spa together! Now I see the true reason behind it all! She's been grooming you to join her world of parties and fashion shows! Farewell to poor Discord and hello to high society!”

“I'd never do something like that!” She insisted, taking to the air to hover around his head with concern. “I'd never abandon one of my friends for anything! Especially not something so shallow!”

He couldn't keep up the facade and burst out laughing at her sincerity, rolling in mid-air to clutch at his chest.

“You're terrible!” She tried to glare at him but all she seemed able to manage was something between a pout and a light frown.

“How can I resist not taking advantage of such a heartfelt response?” He said, grabbing her around the middle and holding her out at arms length to grin at her. “You're just so easy to rile up and get a reaction from!”

She made a small noise at this, blushing to herself. Discord let her go to circle himself around her, grinning from ear to ear. “Your innocence is one of your most endearing qualities, my dear. I just can't help myself.”

He noticed a smile break on her face at this, despite her blush getting darker. “You don't need to make me feel dumb for caring about your feelings though.”

He laughed again, but this time with less of a bite to it. “Tell you what. To make it up to you, why don’t I try and catch one of these little rats for you.”

“Really? You won't hurt them will you?” She lifted her eyes to stare at him again.

He made a dismissive noise at this. “Of course not! I'll just get one face to face with you so you can pet it or feed it corn or whatever it is you want.”

“Well... I suppose if you're gentle it won't be such a bad idea. I do want to make friends with them,” She caved.

“Of course you do!” Discord said, turning his attention back to the tree and scanning its branches. “Now... where did that ball of hair go?”

Seeing the oncoming danger, the chipmunk bolted further into the tree with a squeak. Discord shot after it, sending a rain of twigs down to the ground. Fluttershy watched from her spot with slight concern.

She was surprised. She'd never really considered Discord as athletic or anything but he was a lot faster than she'd thought he'd be. The chipmunk was still winning though. Every time it looked like Discord was going to grab hold of it, it jumped on either a branch several feet away or on his head for a means to escape. After a few too many close calls, it leapt out of the tree and shot across the garden's lawn. Discord streaked after it, leaving a sizeable gouge in the grass where he dropped down.

“Oh dear. Be careful!” Fluttershy called as she watched, but she was either ignored or unheard.

The chipmunk had been aiming to run up another, larger tree but Discord cut it off. It slid under what looked to be very expertly trimmed hedges blooming with small Christmas roses instead. Discord barrelled in after it. Fluttershy lost sight of them for a while, only hearing a mess of breaking twigs and several obscenities from Discord. She was about to fly closer to see if they were ok when they exploded into sight again.

However it seemed the rodent had had enough and disappeared in between the roots of a large oak down a burrow. Discord slid after it, apparently intent on following it, but whatever plan he'd had in mind for fitting in the hole obviously didn't work out and he smacked into the tree trunk, managing to get his muzzle stuck. Fluttershy trotted closer when she was sure the danger was over.

“Are you ok?” She asked after he'd managed to dislodge himself and sat glaring daggers at the burrow.

“My pride may take some time to recover,” He grumbled as he dusted himself off. “I can't believe you got me to chase after a rat like an idiot. I must be losing my mind.”

Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle to herself at this, causing him to snap his gaze at her instead. She tried to get herself under control again until she noticed his antler-like horn had speared several leaves during the short chase and now resembled a small bush growing out of his head. She burst into a fit of giggles all over again.

“Hilarious isn't it?” He shot her a frown before a sneer crossed his face. “Allow me to share in the occasion then. I'd _hate_ for you to feel left out.”

She wiped her eyes to ask what he meant when he crouched down, aimed to pounce as his eyes flashed. She yelped and spun around, galloping in the opposite direction as he leapt to where she'd just been standing before giving chase.

She tried her best but Fluttershy had never been any good at sport and after a few laps around the garden Discord jumped, creating a bridge over her so she couldn't go backwards or forwards without running into him. She gave a small squeak and stumbled in place as she tried to find an escape but in the brief moment of standstill Discord snapped her up, curling himself around her and gripped her in a snake-hold.

“Oh no no! I'm sorry!” She squirmed against him to no avail.

Deaf to her pleading he then proceeded to bury his face in her stomach, resulting in her bursting into uncontrollable laughter as she tried her best to get free. The more she struggled the more tangled she seemed to get, as Discord refused to let her off the hook until she'd received her own amount of humiliation. Under a nearby tree, the chipmunk was watching this disgusting display with the most disapproval a chipmunk could muster.

“Hey you two! Where've you been?” a voice interrupted above them, followed by a grumpy Rainbow Dash.

She came to a hover a few feet above their heads as Discord let the yellow pegasus go, shooting Rainbow an annoyed look, daring her to comment on what she'd stumbled into.

“Twilght's been looking everywhere for ya! We need to get going or it'll take a whole extra day to get to Coltchester!” Rainbow said, catching his eye and pulling a face at him in response.

“Oh! I completely forgot!” Fluttershy said, turning serious again as she pushed the distracted Discord off her and took wing.

“About time,” Discord said as he rolled himself the right-way-up again and strolled after the two pegasi. “The sooner we can get out of here the better.”

“Don't like being so close to the Princess, huh?” Rainbow shot him a smirk. “What's the matter? Scared she's gonna do something to ya if you don't listen to orders?”

Discord rolled his eyes as hard as he could manage without his powers. “Actually, I'm just not the biggest fan of stained glass. It's a real strain on the eyes.”

“Yeah whatever,” She said as she grinned to herself.

“The wildlife could also do with some discipline,” He added with a slight hiss.

Fluttershy tried her best to stifle her giggling as they made their way to the Palace front doors.

* * *

Once everypony had gathered at the doors of the Canterlot palace and had their saddlebags brought to them, it was finally time to hit the road. Celestia and Luna saw them off as the group gave their formal goodbyes.

“We are counting on you Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia said, giving her student a warm smile. “My sister and I, as well as all ponies of Equestria. Remember, you are now just as much their protector and role model as Luna and I.”

Twilight gave her a bow. “I won't fail you, Princess.”

“Be cautious. Think things through. Remember your ultimate goals,” Luna added to the group at large. “And good luck.”

“You can rely on us, your Majesties,” Rarity said followed by several nods and vocal agreements coming from the rest of the group.

And then, with bags tightened and farewells said, it was time to go. They left the palace grounds, the Princesses watching them until they turned a corner and were out of sight. They trotted through the streets of Canterlot, chatting idly and commenting on various things in windows and on menus as they headed for the city gates. Several ponies stopped and stared at them as they walked past, some even hurrying out of the way or disappearing inside a door. The small group tried their best to ignore them, although Rainbow Dash kept shooting Discord dirty looks and Fluttershy kept her eyes on the street in front of her. Discord, despite obviously being the main focus of the paranoia, didn't even seem aware of the attention and merely brought up the rear, Fluttershy pinned to his side. He seemed to be enjoying himself the most, watching everything they strolled past with interest or, probably more accurately, mischief in mind.

But the City gates soon came into view and once they'd crossed them and wandered past the initial guard houses and watchtowers, they hit pure countryside. A few small farms broke up the green fields with their patchwork of crops, but after some travel even these petered out and they were alone. Grass became less trimmed and orderly and started showing a more wild mixture of flowers, long grasses, dandelions and clovers. The wind rushed across the open landscape easier and unidentified winged insects buzzed across the road in front of them from plant to plant.

The sun climbed higher and the day grew hotter. The soft chirping of grasshoppers was replaced by the harmonised buzz of cicadas hiding in whatever shade they could find. As the afternoon started to grow long the group took an afternoon break, finding a stray tree to wait out the hottest time of the day and eat something. Except for Discord who immediately scaled the tree and spread himself out on a branch to watch the ponies underneath him.

“Anypony wanna cookie?” Pinkie asked happily, looking from face to face eagerly.

“No thank you, dear. I'm more interested in having something to drink,” Rarity sighed, pulling out a hoofheld fan from her saddlebag to cool herself off with.

“I thought you weren't gonna take that?” Twilight criticised as she unpacked some of the juice from her bag.

“Well, I thought about it again after we talked and I realised that with my magic being what it is at the moment I wouldn't have any other way of cooling down. And really, if I overheat then my hair gets completely out of control and I am just a wreck. I would hardly be the best travelling companion in those conditions so really, it's for all our sakes that I brought my fan.”

“It ain't that hot.” Applejack took off her hat and placed it beside her as Twilight passed her a carry-mug. “Besides it's only gonna be like this for another hour or so before it starts ta cool down.”

“Will we have to sleep out in the open when it gets dark?” Fluttershy asked nervously as she took a cup and held it over her head, a paw coming down to take it from her and into the tree. “I didn't see any tents in our bags.”

“We'll find somewhere to take shelter once we get in the forest,” Twilight said as she broke off a piece of bread for herself. “Otherwise yeah, we'll have to sleep outside, but it'll be fine. Luckily it's summer or we'd probably be in trouble.”

“It'd be too hot to sleep in a tent like this anyway!” Rainbow Dash added. “Ya got nothing to worry about Fluttershy.”

“I must say, I'm not really that excited about sleeping without a proper bed either,” Rarity commented, sipping from the cup she held awkwardly in her hooves. “If it rains then I can forget about doing anything with my mane until we return to Canterlot and I see a professional stylist and who knows how far in the future _that_ will be?”

“Don't worry Rarity! I talked to Celestia's weather team before we left and they said the got it under control.” Rainbow shot her a smile and a wink. “There's no showers for like another two weeks. We'll be back in a proper house way before then!”

“Good thinking, Dash,” Applejack praised.

“Yes, thank you Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said with a sigh of relief.

Time marched on and after a snack (sadly involving no cookies) the group pressed onwards. As evening rolled in they finally reached the forest. It started out thin with a few younger saplings before it grew thicker and darker around them. Yet at no point did it top or even match the ominous feel of the Everfree forest. The sky was always visible above them, and the shadows fell green and yellow around them rather than the strange purples and blues. Trees looked less gnarled and more traditionally shaped. Invisible birds sung around them and at one stage a rabbit ran across the path a little further ahead of them.

“I guess this isn't so bad,” Fluttershy said, mostly to herself.“I thought it'd be much scarier than this.”

“I told you it was nothing to worry about,” Discord said as he floated lazily above the small group.

“We'll head for Rainbow Falls and set up camp there,” Twilight said, trotting in the lead. “Then we'll start out again tomorrow at 6 am sharp. That way we'll clear the forest late tomorrow evening and we can get to Coltchester about midday after that.”

“And of course, _nothing_ ever goes wrong when ponies set themselves to such well-laid plans,” Discord remarked somewhere above her.

Twilight ignored him. So far everything seemed to have fallen into place just as she'd plotted out. She was confident that as long as they stuck to her instructions it would go exactly as she predicted. After all, this was her first proper mission as an alicorn Princess and proper designated leader of the group. She'd taken extra care to make sure nothing could go wrong.

Discord didn't try and push the issue. He merely pulled faces at Twilight's back before turning his attention to Fluttershy, leaning down to whisper to her although whether he actually cared if the others could hear him wasn't clear.

“Better stick close to me, Fluttershy. Just in case our wise Princess has made a mistake in her perfectly laid plans.”

Twilight said nothing, but she couldn't stop herself from ruffling her wings, wondering if Discord really had lost as much of his power as he said he did or if he'd merely been using it to read her mind in order to annoy her more than usual. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. At least she'd only have to put up with him for this trip. After that he'll either go back to staying at Fluttershy's house or, if he really got on her nerves, the Canterlot palace to be supervised by Princess Celestia. She contented herself with the fact that all she had to do was resist the urge to strangle him in the meantime.

The evening grew cool as clouds drifted over them lazily, slowly building in the east.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New A/N: I wrote this before I really has a grasp on ending a spoken sentence with a comma rather than a period. So I'm sorry if that drives you crazy (i tried to fix it where I noticed it). I promise my punctuation has improved since this.
> 
> Original A/N (9th November 2013)  
Enjoy this moment of respite, dear readers. After this... things get harder.
> 
> I actually really struggled with this chapter. I was worried I was making Discord too nice. It's difficult to write him without his powers and somehow still make him be 'Discord'. I hope I'm doing an ok job. Please let me know how you feel it's going ok? I was also worried this chapter was too sugary sweet. My intention is not to write a sugary sweet fic. However, these moments are also needed in the larger picture.  
It's summer here as I write this, and the days keep getting hotter. Time for iced tea and cheese sandwhiches in the shade :)  
I hope this wasn't too boring a chapter TT^TT


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